Yu-Gi-Oh! A Duelist's Journey
by mlouden03
Summary: 16 Year old Gaius loves playing Duel Monsters any chance he can get. When he hears that Maximillian Pegasus is hosting a Duelist Kingdom Anniversary tournament, he knows he has to attend. Set 10 years after Yu-Gi-Oh, will feature two main OC's but numerous returning characters. Will try to post weekly or bi-weekly. Please Review!
1. Chapter 1

"I've got to get one of those cards!" Gaius yelled aloud as looked down at the small sealed box in front of him on the living room floor. He prepared to break the seal on the booster box, and thought about why the small box meant so much to him. 'Ever since Maximillion Pegasus announced the tenth anniversary Duelist Kingdom tournament, and that ten entries that would be given to the general public, I knew I wanted to be able to attend. Considering I've saved all of my money since I found out, this booster box is all or nothing.'

Sixteen year-old Gaius Vi Britannia loved playing Duel Monsters, and had played since he was old enough to read. He had learned to play by watching duels on the television, and he always tried to emulate the famous duelists that he watched, such as Yugi Moto and Seto Kaiba. Most of his time that wasn't spent eating, sleeping, or in school, was spent on something Duel Monsters related; whether it was buying packs of cards to enhance his collection, or playing with other local duelists at one of the hobby shops near his home.

The young man's mind drifted for a moment as he thought of where he'd rather be. 'I wish I could go to an awesome school like Duel Academy, I hear that all the students there duel 24/7 for most of the year. Even though they take time in the Summer to cram English, Science and all of the other normal school subjects, it would still totally be worth it.' Gaius had always wanted to attend Central Academy, or one of the other Dueling Academies that Seto Kaiba had opened since his Battle City tournament. Due to his family's finances, he wasn't able to get enough money to attend the school, and they weren't poor enough to qualify for free tuition from Kaibacorp. 'There's always hope that if I enter a big tournament and win enough prizes that I'll be able to pay for myself to go next year, or even one of the Dueling colleges for those who started dueling later in life.'

He broke from his daydreaming and refocused his attention to the sealed box in front of him. As he tore plastic wrapper tore away, Gaius opened the flap of the box and prepared to open the first pack. 'Machiner's Command, huh,' he thought, reading the name on the pack to himself, 'I guess most of the cards in here are machine types. I'm not sure how much the cards are going to help me since I already have a fiend deck all set up, but hopefully I can at least get some good cards in general to add to my deck.'

The young man pulled open the first booster pack and looked at the cards inside. 'Common Giga-tech wolf, Launcher Spider, 7 Completed, Stim-pack, Needle Scorpion, Robotic Knight, Oni-tank T34, Cyber Falcon and a Normal Rare Zoa. I guess Metal Zoa and Metalmorph are in here as well, then.' He continued to open packs, now only paying close attention to the rare cards. 'Rare Metalmorph, Super Rare Perfect Machine King, Normal Rare Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, Normal Rare Machine King, Ultra Rare Limiter Removal, Normal Rare Cannon Soldier, Normal Rare Machine Duplication, Normal Rare Acid Rain, Normal Rare Slot Machine, Super Rare Reflect Bounder, Ultra Rare Jinzo, Normal Rare Mechanicalchaser, Normal Rare Cyber Summon Blaster, Super Rare Reflect Bounder, Normal Rare Dimension Wall, Super Rare Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill, Normal Rare Mechanicalchaser, Normal Rare Malfunction, Normal Rare System Down, Normal Rare Cannon Soldier.' As Gaius opened the latest pack, he looked down and saw only three packs left in the entire box.

'Wow, I've gotten some pretty good cards so far, but I haven't found one of those special entry cards.' The young man sighed and slowly picked up the three remaining booster packs. 'I guess it's now or never. Either I win an entry into Pegasus' 10th anniversary Duelist Kingdom tournament or the opportunity passes me by.' Gaius put two of the booster packs back down in front of him on the floor and opened up the booster that remained in his hand. His eyes slowly perused the cards, seeing nothing of interest until he reached the rare card in the pack.

'What is this' he thought, as he read the name of the card to himself. 'Cyber Dragon, huh. I guess this is a Secret Rare card given how shiny it is. I've only seen Secret Rare cards on television before or in people's collections, never actually had one of my own before.' He quickly read the card's effect and then put the pack's worth of cards in the pile with the others, and then picked up one of the remaining two booster packs.

He anxiously tore away the wrapping on the first booster pack that he had placed on the floor. Once again, his eyes glossed over each of the commons in the pack, until his eyes fell upon the last card. The rare card in the pack was another Dekoichi the Battlechained Locomotive. Gaius felt slightly dejected for a moment, but then he looked towards the last unopened pack. 'The card has to be in there,' he thought, 'I've worked so hard and saved so much to be able to get this once in a lifetime opportunity.' The paper wrapper was slowly torn away and Gaius felt the anticipation swell in his chest as the first card became visible. Quickly, the commons were thrown aside as the young duelist looked towards the last card in the pack.

The last card did not seem to be too rare at all, as it looked like just another normal-rare spell card. "Overload Fusion," Gaius said aloud, "I guess this is my rare for the pack." A sense of despair overcame the young man as he was overcome with the realization that there was no entry card in his booster box. 'Oh well,' he thought to himself as he hung his head in despair. 'I guess I won't be competing in the tournament after all.' He began to feel slight teardrops form in his light-blue eyes, but quickly brushed them away with the back of his hand.

Gaius' somber mood was interrupted when he heard the sound of his front door opening. A familiar feminine sounding voice then echoed through the house, calling his name and asking him how his school day had gone. The young man looked up as his mother entered the room and his eyes fell upon her now curled black hair, hair that matched the same color as her son's. "School went fine mom," Gaius replied, "but I didn't get one of those special cards from that box I have been saving for. I finally got the rest of the money today and headed to the card shop right after school to pick it up." He frowned again and looked towards the empty booster box package, wishing that he could have chosen another box as perhaps that one may have had the prize that he sought.

"Aww," Gaius' mother replied as she looked towards her son, "I'm sorry that you didn't get what you wanted dear. Maybe you can try to save up more money or sell some of your extra cards in order to buy another box. You might have better luck then."

Gaius pouted slightly and shook his head. "No mom, the tickets were only placed in the 1st edition version of this pack. I've been looking around for weeks trying to find one and it was almost impossible to find. That particular shop where I finally found some only had one other 1st edition box and it was bought by Garek, who left before I could even get my own box. I wonder if he had any better luck than I did." He once again stared at his newly-acquired cards and his mind drifted to Garek.

'That guy is a real piece of work,' thought Gaius. Garek always seemed to have a penchant for knowing the exact worst thing to say in any setting, frequently employing his talent to make other's feel miserable. Garek Drake was the same age as Gaius, and he was considered one of the most popular students at East Domino High. He took joy in pranking and being cruel to the freshmen class, as well as any others whom he decided weren't deserving of his respect.

"By the way," the woman quipped, breaking Gaius from his train of thought "I saw Kira's mom at the market on the way home. She mentioned that Kira wanted to see you tomorrow between classes. I would guess it was something about cards, from the way you two always carry on."

Kira was one of Gaius' oldest and closest friends. They had met when Gaius was in second grade, and when Kira was in fourth, she being two years his senior. The pair were close ever since they met, and regarded each other as best friends. A few months ago, Gaius had started to teach Kira how to play Duel Monsters, but she seemed more concerned with collecting cards than actually learning how to be a better duelist. The young man smiled as he thought of Kira, and wondered what she wanted to talk about. It wasn't often that she felt the need to plan any conversations that they had.

Gaius quickly packed up his booster box and stored it on his black shelving unit that was next to the television. On the shelves, he also had his deck, which was built around Fiend-type monsters, as well as a foot long cardboard box that contained the rest of his miscellaneous cards. Soon after, Gaius ate dinner that his mom had prepared and went to bed after watching some local Dueling coverage on the television.

The next day, he woke up early for school and ran a comb through his messy black hair in an effort to make it somewhat presentable for the day. A quick check in his bedroom mirror showed that Gaius' normally pale skin had become slightly paler in recent weeks. 'I guess it's all my time indoors playing Duel Monsters,' the teen thought as he finished getting prepared for school and grabbing his dueling deck from the living room before boarding the bus bound for his high school. Gaius normally played cards with some of his classmates at lunch or in study hall if he had no homework to do. If he had his way, the teen would spend even more of his time playing Duel Monsters, but Kira would be upset at him if she caught him ditching his school work.

Once Gaius arrived at school, he tried to look for Kira in the lunchroom before homeroom, however he was unable to find her. He shuffled off to homeroom after a quick trip to his locker where he dropped off his book bag and gathered the books and supplies that he would need for his classes before lunch. Classes flew by as he eagerly awaited lunch and talking to Kira. As the clock struck 12, Gaius left English class and walked to his locker so he could drop off his morning books and head to lunch. While walking, he caught sight of Garek, who immediately turned towards him shouted, "Hey, what's up 'Gay-us?'" The taunt was accompanied by a rude gesture, and Gaius looked away and tried to ignore the bully. 'Why does he have to be so arrogant all the time?' he thought as he passed by Garek. The young man watched as the bully leaned in towards a girl that Gaius didn't recognize, the young man's grey eyes staring into hers.

Gaius tried to ignore the rude boy as he neared his locker and then entered his combination. The locker door opened, and Gaius placed his morning text-books back into his book bag and retrieved his afternoon school supplies. As he reached into his bag to grab his deck box, he found the front compartment of his backpack was empty. The young man frantically rifled through his secondary compartment and the main section trying to find his deck, but the search was in vain.

'Where could it be,' he thought as the search continued to the rest of his locker. 'I know I brought it with me this morning, so it must be here!' Gaius knew he only had a few minutes before lunch began, so he grabbed his books that he had set down during the search and headed off to lunch. 'I won't be able to file a report with the vice principal,' Gaius thought, his meeting with Kira all but forgotten as he tried to come up with options. Since Domino high had a strict "No games" policy following the popularity of Yugi Moto, Gaius knew that he would have to solve this mystery by himself.

As he walked into the bustling cafeteria through the sea of his peers, Gaius faintly heard a familiar voice call out amidst the cacophony of voices. He turned and saw Kira sitting at an almost empty table, her pink lunch bag open and a sandwich in front of her.

"Hey Gaius," she yelled as she smiled and looked up when she noticed his presence, "come over here after you get your food." Gaius could see her smile turn into puzzlement as she no doubt saw the glum look across the young man's face. He quickly shuffled through the lunch line, grabbing his usual order of pizza and soda, and then headed off to sit with his friend.

"What's wrong, Gaius?" Kira asked as he sat down in front of her. Her expression was a look of concern, and her deep blue eyes stared quizzically at her friend. Gaius didn't know how to explain, but he slowly began to speak.

"You know how I usually duel people during lunch and after school before the busses come, well," his voice began to trail off as he struggled to find the words. "I can't find my deck anywhere. It's not in my locker, not in my bag, and I checked every pocket too. I don't know what I'm going to do, all of my best cards were in that deck." He depressingly began to nibble at his pizza, still trying to formulate a plan.

"Oh my gosh that's horrible," Kira replied, her bright-colored hair moving around her as she shook her head seemingly in frustration at the situation. "Have you looked in your morning classes? Maybe your deck fell out there or something. Does anyone else know your locker combination?"

Gaius sighed as he spoke. "I didn't have my bag on me in the morning, so I know they can't be in my morning classes, and I don't think anyone knows my locker combination." He looked down at his pizza and felt horrible.

"Well, I'll help you look at your house later tonight," Kira assured, "plus I want to talk to you about a surprise that I have for you." She reached into her pocket and pulled two slips of paper from her wallet. "Yesterday morning one of the radio stations held a call-in contest to get two tickets to the final of the regional Duel Monsters tournament tonight, and guess who was caller number 25!" She sheepishly smiled, obviously in an attempt to boost her friend's spirit.

"Wow really Kira, that's awesome!" Gaius momentarily forgot his current predicament and focused on the tournament. The regional event was invitation-only, and Gaius knew that tickets to the event were sold-out a month before it even began. "Isn't that girl playing that you like so much, Rachel or something?" The young man hadn't paid much attention to the event since neither Yugi Moto nor Seto Kaiba were participating.

"Rebecca," Kira corrected, "and yes. She actually made it to the finals. I don't know who she's facing though. Whoever it is they have to be pretty good to make it to the top two." She smiled for a moment and continued to speak. "Anyway, I can pick you up at 7, the event should be over by 9 or 10 and then I can come help you look for your deck a bit. It could have fallen out in the house after you meant to pack it, you never know."

Gaius nodded and started to actually enjoy the remainder of his pizza. "7 sounds fine," he managed to get out between bites, "I'm not doing much after school, I may check the card shop to see if anyone has turned in my deck, or just thoroughly check the house." He sighed again as his current predicament caught up with the teen duelist. "By the way, my box was a bust too. Got the last one I could find in the whole area and I didn't get one of those special cards. I at least managed to get some good stuff in general though, despite most of it being Machine-type." Gaius and Kira then made small talk for the rest of lunch, with Kira asking about all of the specific cards that Gaius had gotten from his booster box.

After lunch, the rest of the day was a blur, as all Gaius could think about was his missing deck, and how he would do anything it took to get it back. The young man quickly hurried home as soon as school ended, and placed a call to the local card shop, but the call was in vain. No one had turned in a deck at all that week. 'I knew it was a long-shot at best,' he thought as a large frown crept across his face. He then looked all around his house, under his bed, inside the couch, but his deck was nowhere to be found. Gaius finished looking through his room and the house to no avail, and finally reserved himself to waiting for Kira to come and pick him up for the tournament that night. He quickly wrote a note to his mother who was working late, letting her know when he would be home.

As 7 neared, Gaius began to check his phone and see if he had missed a text from Kira. She usually was very punctual, and as the clock neared 7:20 he began to worry. As he was contemplating calling her mother to see if she was ok, he received a text message from his friend saying that she was in the driveway. Gaius quickly put on his shoes, grabbed his wallet and headed out the door. As he got into the passenger side of Kira's car, a plastic bag was sitting on the back seat.

"What's in the bag?" Gaius asked as he looked towards his newly arrived friend. The young man wondered what Kira was up to as usually her car was immaculate.

"Oh," Kira replied slowly, as she began to back out of the driveway. "I made a quick stop earlier, that's why I was a bit late. I'll show you what I got after we get back to your house."

As the pair left for where the finals were taking place, the drive was uneventful and within an hour they were at the dueling arena. They parked, quickly walked in, and showed the attendants their tickets.  
Gaius was surprised as Kira led him not only to the bottom row of the stands, but his excitement grew with each step that they took towards the front row. As they reached the front row, his eyes were afire with glee. "You never told me the tickets you won were for the front row," the young man explained, a wide grin forming on his face.

"You never asked," Kira replied as she laughed and the pair took their seats. Within 20 minutes, the seats around them had filled and suddenly a loud voice could be heard over the sound system.

"Attention Duelists," the voice boomed, "are you ready for your regional championship event? We have several preliminary exhibition matches to whet your appetite for the main event, but first let's meet the man who has made all this possible, the creator of Duel Monsters and the owner of Industrial Illusions, Maximilian Pegasus!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and jubilation as the man's name was announced, and Gaius joined the fray with whooping and hollering of his own. Soon he could see a figure walking out from a corner of the arena, an older man with white hair draped over his left eye and dressed in an expensive-looking red and white pin-stripe suit. Gaius immediately recognized Pegasus, and became excited as the man began to walk past them to greet the crowd. As the man moved towards the pair of teens, a smile started on his face. As Pegasus looked towards the group, it was almost as if he was looking past them, and when his eye met Gaius the young man felt as if the card creator was staring into his soul.

The feeling quickly passed as Pegasus walked on, and the man took a seat at a table near the front row on the opposite side of the main stage. The announcer then announced the duelists for the first exhibition match, apparently two local duelists who were knocked out of the regional tournament despite being early favorites. Gaius' eyes glazed over as the first match passed with little interest, and the second match was just as boring as the first. The young man's ears perked up when he heard the announcer's voice announcing the third match.

"All right folks," the announcer exclaimed, "the match you've been waiting for is upon us. This is a battle between two high-powered duelists, one new to the competitive scene, and one a long-time veteran. Although the two of them have already secured a place at Maximillian Pegasus' upcoming Duelist Kingdom 10th Anniversary tournament just by making it this far, the winner of tonight's match will get a prestigious trophy for being crowned the Kanto regional champ, as well as a special secret reward at the tournament itself! Now, it's time to meet the two who will be battling it out for the title tonight. First, I give you Apollo Navarro, an 18-year duelist fresh out of Duel Academy in his first major tournament"

A young man stepped onto the center stage as he walked from one of the doors on the arena floor. Dressed in khaki shorts and a blue t-shirt, his clothes like the epitome of casual attire. Burgundy hair was parted down the middle of his forehead, and his bright blue eyes reflected the white hot lights of the arena. As he neared the left side of the stage, a section of the floor came away and a large structure came out of the ground.

'Wow," Gaius thought, 'now that the exhibition matches are over they're going to be actually playing on a Duel Arena. I've never seen one in person before.' He continued to watch as Apollo stepped onto a step near the base of his platform and rose until he reached the top of the arena terminal. The spectator's train of thought was interrupted when he heard the announcer's voice yet again.

"Now," the voice bellowed, "time for Apollo to come face to face with his competition. Former United States champion, semi-finalist in the KC Grand Prix, and now taking on her first major event since her move to Japan last year, I give you, Rebecca…Hawkins!" The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as a young woman stepped out from the opposite side of the arena.

Gaius looked towards the girl who looked several years his senior. Her clothes were as black as midnight, as a fastened corset clung to her slender frame. A short miniskirt accented the top, with lace stockings and a garter belt. Rebecca smiled toward the crowd and waved, her long arms covered in black lace glove sleeves as well. She stepped onto the dueling platform and then was lifted, standing face to face with her competition.

"Attention Duelists," the announcer boomed, "place your deck into the deck receptacle and your cards will be automatically randomized. Place your cards onto the respective card zone and the card will be displayed on the holoprojectors. If you have any questions about your opponent's cards, the screen to the right of your field will help. With your decks shuffled and the holoprojectors engaged, it's time to duel!"


	2. Chapter 2

Gaius looked on in anticipation as both duelists drew five cards to start the game. He then turned to Kira. "I wonder who's going to win. Have you ever heard of Apollo before? I've never seen him before, but I haven't really watched the Duel Academy events. I remember Rebecca on some of the World-wide tournaments, but since she played mostly in America I don't know her style."

Kira shook her head as she turned to her friend and tried to strain her voice over the sound of the eager crowd. "I haven't heard of him either, but if he has come this far he has to be pretty good. I'm hoping Rebecca can pull out a win."

The crowd slowly hushed as a virtual coin toss occurred on a large monitor, with Rebecca winning the coin toss and taking the first turn of the game.

Rebecca looked at her hand and then began her turn. "I set one card face down, and then I play Foolish Burial. I can take one card from my deck and send it to the graveyard. I'll send Mezuki to the graveyard. I'll then place one monster card face down and I'll end my turn."

Gaius could see her smile as she looked at the remaining three cards in her hand. 'I guess she's got a really good opening hand if she's this confident.' His eyes then turned to Apollo, who drew a card to begin his turn.

"Hmm," Apollo quickly mused before choosing a card and placing it onto the field. "I play Marauding Captain onto the field. That lets me then play another Warrior-type monster from my hand onto the field. I then play Command Knight. Whose effect grants all Warrior-type monsters an additional 400 attack points." A man wielding two swords and a woman in armor appeared as large holograms on his side of the field. The young man than looked at the four remaining cards. "I'll also play The Allied Forces. This continuous-spell card increases all Warrior-type monster's attack points by 200 for each Spellcaster or Warrior on my side of the field." He let out a quick laugh as he stared down Rebecca's field.

"I'll have my Marauding Captain attack your face down monster with all 2000 attack points," he exclaimed. The twin sword-wielding hologram rushed forward and stabbed a sword through Rebecca's face down monster. A giant turtle appeared on the field where the monster had been.

"You've destroyed my Pyramid Turtle," Rebecca yelled, "that means I can go and summon another from my deck." Another turtle monster appeared on the field.

"Command Knight, destroy her new monster," Apollo ordered. The second turtle was quickly struck down by Apollo's remaining monster.

"With the second turtle gone, I can summon one more," Rebecca replied. Another turtle appeared where the first and second had been.

"I'll play one card face down and I'll end my turn." Apollo looked slightly frustrated as his double attack attempt resulted in a draw in terms of life points.

Rebecca smiled as she drew a card for her turn. "I'll play one monster face down, and then I'll play Card Destruction. My hand of two cards is discarded, and now I can draw two more cards. You are have to discard and draw the same number of cards you had, so it's two new cards for you as well." She placed the cards in her hand into the Graveyard and Apollo did the same. They both then drew two cards. "That's all for me this turn," the young woman said coyly, I ran out of good cards in my hand."

Gaius turned to Kira and began to speak. "How is she going to win when she hasn't made any offensive moves? All she's done is discard cards and summoned turtles in defense mode." His young friend chuckled.

"Maybe you should have watched her earlier matches, Gaius," she replied. "I know she's not the same as Yugi or Kaiba, but she can be just as good."

As Apollo began his second turn, Gaius could see him study the cards in his hand. "I'll play Goblin Attack Force onto the field in attack mode, and play Big Bang Shot on it. The equip spell, combined with all my other effects, his attack becomes 3700! I'll then have him attack your face down defense monster. Big Bang Shot's effect takes the difference between my monster's attack points, and your monster's defense points, out of your life points."

"Hold it right there Apollo," Rebecca chimed in. When you declared your attack, I activated my face down card, Magic Cylinder. Magic Cylinder negates your monsters attack and deals you damage equal to your own monster's attack power." She playfully stuck her tongue out at her opponent, but suddenly a light emanated from Apollo's side of the field.

"I chain my Ring of Defense as you play your Magic Cylinder," he explained. "Ring of Defense takes any effect damage I take from one particular card and reduces it to zero, so although you stopped my attack Rebecca, my life points are perfectly safe." He paused for a second and then announced his next move. "Marauding Captain, take out her face down monster card." The twin-bladed knight ran towards the unknown monster and slashed it, yet the card still remained on Rebecca's field. A purple-hooded creature holding a scythe held its ground against Apollo's Marauding Captain.

"You attacked my Spirit Reaper. Spirit Reaper can't be destroyed by battle, so he survives your attack!" Rebecca shouted triumphantly. "Care to try and take another swing Apollo, maybe this one might actually do something."

The young duelist gritted his teeth. "Command Knight, take out that Pyramid Turtle for the last time!" His remaining monster made quick work of Rebecca's turtle, but the female duelist quickly interjected.

"With you destroying my last Pyramid Turtle, I Special Summon Shadow Ghoul from my deck into attack mode. So far I have a total of six monsters in my graveyard, increasing his attack by 600 points."

Apollo chuckled and then spoke. "Your Ghoul only has 2200 attack points, whereas my Captain and Command Knight both have the same amount. I just need to play one more monster on my next turn and then you're as good as done. I'll place one card face down and then end my turn."

Rebecca began her turn looking slightly worried. "I'll draw for the turn, place one card face down, and then that's it". Gaius could see for once a look of uncertainty in her eyes.

'I bet she expected that Magic Cylinder plan to go off without a hitch. Not only would she have kept her life points safe, she would have crippled Apollo down to his last 300 life points all in one go. If she had only drawn the right card on her turn, the game would have been hers. Now it looks like Apollo has a straight shot to 3500 of her life points.'

Apollo smirked as he drew for his turn. "Did you really run out of options, Rebecca? I had hoped to play you a bit longer before my deck defeated you. I'll play Reinforcements of the Army. That lets me get any four-star or less Warrior monster from my deck to my hand. I'll search for Rocket Warrior and then play him in attack mode. Command Knight and The A. Forces boosts his attack power to 2,700. I'll then have my Goblin Attack Force attack your Spirit Reaper." The Goblin group rushed forward and battered repeatedly at her Zombie-type monster, who withstood the assault.

Gaius looked on as Rebecca's life point monitor slowly decreased from 4,000 until it reached 500. 'Can Rebecca actually pull this off,' he thought. 'With Shadow Ghoul at 2,200 Rocket Warrior at 2,700, her last 500 life points will be wiped out. She needs to come up with something right now or she's lost.' He looked on in anticipation as Apollo declared his next move. 

"Rocket Warrior, attack Shadow Ghoul and wipe out the rest of her life points!" 

The Small mechanical warrior leapt forward and attacked Shadow Ghoul, but the Zombie creature suddenly grew slightly larger and Rebecca yelled. 

"During the damage step of your attack, I play Hand Destruction. We both discard two cards and then we draw two. I discarded one monster so Shadow Ghoul is now 2,300. Even though it's still destroyed by your attack, I still have life points left" A small smile crept across the blonde's face as she drew her cards, "Even though I only have 100 points left, this duel is just getting started." 

Apollo looked slightly distraught as he discarded and drew. His Goblin Attack Force also changed into defense mode as his battle phase concluded. "I'll play one card face down and then I will end my turn. I was really hoping to win last turn, but I guess you had more tricks up your sleeve." A small smile formed as he looked towards his opponent. No matter what happens, this has been a good duel, and I've gotten a lot further than I thought with this deck." 

Rebecca smiled as she drew for her turn. "Thanks," she chimed in, "it means a lot that you are proud of how far you've come, but this is the end of the line for you. First, I'll play Endless Decay from my hand. Since I have less than 2,000 life points, I can special summon it without a tribute." 

Gaius watched as a large Mummy monster appeared on Rebecca's field, and then she continued to speak. 

"Endless Decay's attack points become half of your life points, meaning that he has 2,000 attack," she explained. "I'll then sacrifice my Spirit Reaper to play Ryu Kokki." A creature seemingly composed of skeletal heads formed on Rebecca's field. "Now I'll play the last card in my hand, the Field Spell Zombie World." The playing field quickly became a fog covered swamp with skulls littering the grounds. "Zombie World turns all monsters on the field into Zombies, meaning your A Forces and Command Knight effects are useless. Only Zombie monsters can be tribute summoned too, so that means you can't expect any large reinforcement." She smiled wide as, she pulled two cards from her graveyard. "I'll use my Mezuki's special effect and banish him from play in order to special summon Shadow Ghoul from the graveyard. His attack is 2,300, and in a few seconds he'll, be coming for you!" She laughed slightly and turned her sights on Apollo's monsters. 

"With your Goblin Attack Force in defense mode for another two turns, and your other monsters weakened, I. can take out your monsters with ease. I'll have Shadow Ghoul start it off, and have it attack your Command Knight," She then looked on as Shadow Ghoul crept forward and slashed its long claws through the female warrior. Command Knight quickly fell to the ground and vanished, and Apollo's life points dropped from 4,000 to 2,900.

"Endless Decay, now it's your turn," Rebecca ordered, "take out Marauding Captain."

The Mummy lumbered forward and smashed the warrior on the head with its large hands. The warrior then disappeared and Apollo's life points dropped again to 2,100.

"For my final attack," the female duelist continued, "I'll have my Ryu Kokki attack your Rocket Warrior. With my monster's 2,400 attack points, I'll have taken you from almost winning to only having 1,100 life points in just one turn."

The skull creature rushed forward and crushed the mechanical warrior with its large feet, causing the defending monster to disappear in a flash of light.

"Well Apollo," Rebecca sneered, "You only have one monster left on your side of the field, and it can't even attack yet. What did you say before about beating me last turn?" She smiled and looked at her field. "Since I have no cards left I'll end my turn, see if you can top that."

Apollo glanced at the card he drew and seemed to ponder for a moment before he flipped over his face down card. "I'll play my Skill Drain. I pay 1,000 life points, but all effects of effect monsters on the field are negated. That means your Shadow Ghoul is back to 1,600 attack points, and even better yet your Endless Decay has his attack decreased to his original attack of 0." He smiled as he played two cards from his hand. "I'll then play Scapegoat and United We Stand, equipping the spell card to my Goblin Attack Force. Even though he doesn't get the A. Forces boost, United We Stand along with having a full field of monsters increases my monster's attack power all the way to 6,300. I'll then switch my Goblin into attack mode and have him attack your Endless Decay. With no cards face down and no cards in your hand, you can't do anything to stop my attack."

Rebecca looked worried for a moment and then laughed as she pulled a card from her graveyard. "You're forgetting about my graveyard. I banish Necro Gardna that I discarded on your last turn to negate your attack once again. We're now both at 100 life points, and you only have one card left in your hand."

Apollo gritted his teeth and sighed as his attack failed. "I'll play my last card facedown, and then it's your turn. You have no cards in hand and no effects that can help you. You're only delaying the inevitable. On my next turn I'll attack again and wipe you out."

Rebecca nodded and then closed her eyes for a moment as her hand prepared to draw for her turn. She slowly drew, and a wide smile appeared on her face as she looked down at the card. "You should know, Apollo, with each draw of the deck, you never know what you might get. Sometimes you get a card that is useless to you, and others you get the exact card you need to win the duel. I'll play my Mystical Space Typhoon card, and I'll have it destroy your United We Stand equip spell card. With that card gone, your Goblin drops all the way back down to 2,300. With my Ryu Kokki at 2,400, I think you know where this is going."

Apollo looked devastated as his spell card was swept up as a virtual typhoon rocked the dueling arena. He hung his head, not waiting for his opponent to declare her next move.

'Wow,' Gaius thought as he watched this unfold. 'Kira was right, Rebecca really is still one of the best duelists around. She may be even able to give Yugi or Kaiba a run for their money if she ever challenged them.'

"Ryu Kokki, attack Goblin Attack Force and take the rest of his life points." She smiled as her monster ran forward and crushed the team in its skull-like fists.

Apollo's life points dropped to 0, and a buzzer rang out that signaled the end of the duel.

"Well, there you have it folks," The announcer yelled. "Rebecca Hawkins, former United States champion has taken her first tournament here in Japan, where Duel Monsters began. Let's give a round of applause for our new champion, and also to congratulate Apollo, a fine duelist who placed incredibly well in his first event." The crowd erupted in applause as Rebecca and Apollo descended from the duel platform and shook hands in the middle of the arena floor. Pegasus then walked over to Rebecca and presented her with a large trophy.

"See," Kira said triumphantly to Gaius as the applause died down, "I knew she could pull it off. Rebecca's the best."

Gaius smiled and nodded his head. "I'm surprised that she was able to pull the exact card she needed. I never have that kind of luck when I play." Gaius then followed Kira as the crowd started to depart. His young friend shrugged as she reached her car.

"Some people just get lucky I guess, and some don't." She paused for a minute as they got into the car and then smiled at Gaius. "Speaking of luck, since you had rotten luck yesterday, I got you something." She then reached onto the back seat and pulled up the bag, which she then handed to Gaius.

He looked into the bag and saw eight Duel Monsters booster packs. "Wow, thanks," the young man exclaimed as he grabbed the packs and rifled through them to check what set they were from. "All Machiner's Command, huh, that's pretty cool. We can open them when we get back to my place."

Kira smiled and nodded. "I couldn't find any 1st Edition packs to try and help you get that entry card, but hopefully you still get something good from them. My book bag with my deck and binder are in the trunk, so if you pull anything cute I can trade you stuff I don't need to add them to my collection." She smiled again and then began to back out of the parking space and head towards home.

During the ride to his home, Gaius couldn't get his mind off of his missing deck, as he replayed in his mind everything that had occurred that morning before he went to class. 'I got my books and my notebook out for the morning, made sure that my deck was in my backpack, and then closed my locker door.' He paused for a moment as his mind focused on his locker closing. 'I didn't really hear it lock closed,' he thought as his mind cleared. 'That means that someone could have went in after I left and went through my backpack. Not many people know I'm a duelist, and I don't think any of my friends would do anything like this.' He continued to ponder as Kira's car pulled into his driveway.

"Hey," he began, "I don't think my locker closed all the way this morning. My locker was fine when I went back before lunch, so someone must have went in and swiped my deck and then closed it so that I wouldn't notice." The young man started to look glum as he got out of his friend's car and walked towards his front door.

"Do you know who it might be?" Kira inquired as she followed her friend, her backpack slung over a shoulder. "If you can think of anyone who would steal from you we could always try asking around."

Gaius' mind drew a blank, as all he could think about now was the very real possibility that his deck was stolen from him by a schoolmate. The pair headed into his house, and Gaius heard the sound of the living room television as the front door opened. He led Kira past the kitchen and told her to go upstairs while he retrieved his cards. As he entered the living room, he saw his mother sitting on the couch and some form of soap opera that she was watching. "Hey Mom, I'm home," he greeted. "Is it ok if Kira and I hang out in my room and play Duel Monsters?" He paused for a second before adding, "have you happened to see my deck anywhere around the house since you got home? You know, the one in the purple box that I play with?" His mother towards her son and shook her head.

"Yeah, of course you and Kira can go play, but I haven't seen your deck since I got home. You know I always tell you to put things in the same place and then you'll always know where they are." She sighed and then continued as her son started to head for the stairs. "How was the tournament by the way, did you see any fun games?"

The young man grumbled under his breath and then slowly replied. "I know mom, but I think someone may have taken it, I can't exactly stop that from happening if someone is really determined." He paused and then continued to speak. "One of the games was pretty good, the others weren't as interesting." He then left the room after grabbing his cards from the shelf in the living room, went upstairs and entered his room where Kira awaited.

As Gaius walked into the room, he saw Kira sitting on his bed, her binder open as she glanced over her collection. The young duelist sat next to his friend on the bed and opened the bag that Kira had given him. "Let's hope I get something good, at least that would make up for the mediocre last few days, tournament withstanding." He laid out the eight packs in front of him, and started to open them.

As he tore the first pack open, he set the commons to the side and glanced at the last card in the pack. "Dekoichi, again," he said aloud as he looked at the Normal Rare card. "I already have a few of these, it's a decent card but it wouldn't work well in my main deck." He made another pile and placed the rare card on the bed and began to open the next pack. He once again passed by the commons and focused only on the rare. "Slot Machine, I already have one and it's not even good in the first place".

He then sped up the process by opening two packs at a time, and looking at both rare cards simultaneously. "Normal Rare Negate Attack and Normal Rare Reload. It's pretty nice that I finally got some rare spell and trap cards to go along with most of the monsters that I have gotten so far." He turned to Kira who had been going over the growing stack of common cards that Gaius had been placing down. "Have you seen anything you like? Odds are you can just take any commons you want as I already have a box-worth from yesterday." 

The young girl looked up at her friend as she pulled out a card. "This Mecha-Dog Marron is pretty cute. I haven't seen anything else I like, but thanks a lot for letting me have it. I'll see if there's anything you need from my binder in exchange. I don't feel right just taking gifts Gaius, you should remember this by know." She playfully smiled and laughed as she slid her new card into an empty slot in the back of her binder. "I actually bought a few packs myself the other day, so I may actually have something you need for once."

Gaius smiled and nodded as he began to open two more booster packs in a row. The first card he set aside was a Normal Rare Z-Metal Tank, and as the artwork of the second card caught in the light, he smiled as he saw that it was a super rare. "XY-Dragon Cannon, this is in the same series as the X-Head Cannon I got yesterday and the Z-Metal Tank I got just now. The only trouble is I don't have any Y-Dragon Head for me to use to get this Fusion-monster in play." He sighed for a second and then saw Kira flipping through her binder.

"You mean this guy?" She asked sheepishly, as she pulled out a Y-Dragon Head card from her collection. "I got him yesterday when I bought three packs for myself. I don't think he looks cool or cute at all, and since you just said you needed him, I don't mind letting him go. Besides, it is better that he's with his friends anyway, right?" The young woman then placed the monster card into Gaius' pile of rare cards and then glanced through the common cards that her friend had just set aside.

As two more booster packs remained in front of the young man, Gaius smiled at Kira's generosity. "Thanks Kira, I really appreciate that you're letting me have the Y-Dragon Head. It's really funny how you happened to get one of the cards I needed, before I even knew I would need it." He then began to open his final packs, and as the first rare card caught his eye, a wide smile spread across his face.

"Kira, look at the holo pattern on this card. This is another Secret Rare card. I got my first one yesterday, and now I have another." He set the card carefully into a hard plastic case as he read the name to his friend. "Chimeratech Overdragon, huh? From the effect on the card I need to have Cyber Dragon in the graveyard in order to play this card. The effect seems really cool too, he can attack once for each monster used in the effect to Special Summon him." He beamed at his new card for a moment longer, and then turned his attention towards the rare in the other pack. "Oh this is a Normal Rare Covering Fire, and the artwork has Mechanicalchaser and Canon Soldier in it, how cool."

As he started to combine his newest additions with the spoils from the day before, he looked towards his friend who handed him the remainder of the common cards.

"I'm really glad you got that rare card," Kira beamed. "I was a bit distracted looking through the rest of the cards, but I found some more ones I want." She then showed Gaius several more cards that she had set aside, and Gaius nodded, indicating that she could take them. The pair then searched Gaius' room looking for his lost deck, but they were unable to find it, despite looking in every possibly location that they could think of.

Gaius sighed as the realization that his deck was truly lost hit him. He then sorted the remainder of his collection and began to make a new deck. "I guess I could use a lot of these machine cards I've gotten. I don't really like Machine-type decks but I don't really have much choice since all of my best cards were in my Fiend deck." As he organized his cards, he saw Kira pull out various cards from her binder.

"You can have these if you want them," she offered as a small pile of twenty to thirty cards were passed from her to her friend. "There are some machines that you may use, or just other good spell and trap cards, since I noticed you mostly got monster cards from your box and packs.

Gaius smiled widely at his friend, and as he was about to thank her, the doorbell rang. "Who could it be at this time of night," he wondered aloud as his alarm clock read 10:05. He quickly walked downstairs and opened the door, as he had heard no sound of movement coming from the living room. There was a sealed package on his front-porch and Gaius recognized the yellow cat-like logo of Yamato Transport, a popular delivery service. The young man brought the package inside and carried it up to his room, as he saw his name listed as the recipient.

"Who was at the door?" Kira asked as her friend entered his bedroom.

"It was a Yamato truck, apparently. They dropped off a package for me, although I'm surprised it came at night and not earlier in the day. I'm not expecting anything in the mail either, I haven't ordered cards or anything else online in a month or two, and those items came within days of me placing the order." He slowly pulled the tape off of the box in an attempt to not damage anything that was inside. With the tape removed, he opened the lid and something immediately caught the light of the room, a single Duel Monsters card in a hard plastic case for protection. The card was bright golden and glossy, and it shone brighter than any card that Gaius had ever seen before. The card's art featured a picture of a small island on it, and a white castle was located in the middle of the island.

"What, how," Gaius wondered aloud as he stared at the card in his hand, "this looks just like the special card that was shown on TV, the kind that gets you into the Duelist Kingdom tournament. Why would anyone send this to me?" He frantically looked at the exterior of the box trying to see a return address, but found none.

"There's some kind of paper at the bottom of the box, maybe it explains," Kira mused. She then pulled the paper out of the box and handed it to the still aww-struck Gaius.

He looked at the paper for a moment and then began to speak. "It's a letter, addressed to me. 'Dear Gaius, this is Maximillian Pegasus. I'm writing to tell you that you have won a most excellent prize. All registered duelists who attended tonight's tournament finale were entered in a raffle with the prize being the last entry into my exclusive 10th Anniversary tournament, which you've no doubt seen ads for on TV and your local game store. The enclosed card entitles you and one friend or family member of your choice to come to my island and battle the best of the best from all around the world and compete for an amazing grand prize. You're probably wondering what that prize is, but to find out you'll have to come and duel. It wouldn't be fun if I spilled all the beans in one letter. If you wish to accept this invitation, please be at Pier 42 next Friday by 8PM and present the tournament card to the Industrial Illusion representatives. I look forward to seeing you there, and good luck!'" The young man fell completely silent for a few moments as he tried to process what he had just read.

'I can't believe I got a tournament entry card,' he thought, 'especially after my booster box was in vain. I have to make it to the tournament, and mom already told me that I could go if I got a card in my box, so that shouldn't be a problem. The only question is, who do I bring with me?' His eyes slowly shifted to Kira. 'It would be really awesome if she came with me, that way she could cheer me on and if we're lucky she could meet Rebecca Hawkins.' Gaius smiled and then addressed his friend. "Kira, would you want to come with me to the tournament? You'd have to get your parent's permission for school since it's slated to last a week, but my mom just told them I might be going on a family vacation next week, so that should be fine for you as well."

The young woman nodded vehemently and smiled, her opal-colored hair shone dazzlingly in the moonlight as the bright strands seemingly became one with the emanations of the celestial body outside the window. "Of course you goof, I'd love to come." She then playfully stuck her tongue out at Gaius. "Honestly I would be kind of hurt if you took anyone else, since we're best friends and all." The young woman jokingly punched her friend lightly on the arm, and then hugged him close in a tight bear-hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she squealed. "I'm so glad you're taking me with you, I know I'm a rubbish duelist so I probably wouldn't even last a day if I was actually competing."

"I'm glad you're happy too but I need to breathe, otherwise you won't be able to go to the tournament," Gaius managed to eke out as his friend held him too tight. He took a deep breath as she released him and then looked towards the clock. "It's almost 11, you should probably head home now. I'll see you tomorrow in school, and hopefully your parents let you come with me next week. If they seem to be hesitating have them call up my mom, maybe she can try to coax them into it." He then laughed for a moment as he watched his friend pack up to leave. As they reached the door after walking downstairs, Kira quickly hugged him and then left, the sound of her car's engine roaring against the sound of the tranquil night.

The rest of the week flew by for Gaius, as all he could think about was the tournament. When news came that Kira's parents had agreed to sign off on her going with him to Duelist Kingdom, his spirit only soared higher. He spent what time he could familiarizing himself with his new deck that he had constructed in the week prior. Trades were also made at school, as he bartered away extra cards from his collection in order to make the strongest deck possible before the tournament began. Before he knew it, it was already the end of the school day on Friday. The young duelist knew he was only hours away from the tournament of his dreams. 'I can't wait to see what the future holds,' he thought as he was heading home from school.


	3. Chapter 3

As Gaius reached his home, he could feel his cheeks flush in anticipation for the night ahead. Kira would swing by at 7 with some fast food, and they would then head directly to the docks so that they could board the boat in time. Time passes and as the clock read 6:30, the young duelist made sure to pack his deck box and a small binder with only his rarest extra cards. 'The less I have with me, the less I have to keep track of,' he thought as he stuffed a box of granola bars and a bag of pretzel rods into his large backpack. 'Kira should be bringing some food as well, and I'm sure I could fit a 2 liter or two of pop in here as well. That should be enough for me to eat and drink during the tournament, the only problem now is my sleeping bag.'

The young man went up to his room and searched his closet until he found a large bag with a carrying strap and a string on it to close the bag. He undid the pull string and unrolled his black and red sleeping bag, which also had a built-in pillow at the head of the bag. After he checked the bag and ensured that there were no holes, he rolled the bag back up and slid it into the carrier. He then waited patiently yet anxiously until the appointed time.

Shortly after 7, Gaius heard a car door open and he raced to the window where he saw Kira's car parked and his friend approaching the door. He quickly went into the living room and gave his mother a hug goodbye, and then he opened the front door and closed it behind him before Kira had even rang the doorbell.

"Oh hey Gaius," she laughed as she no doubt sensed his eagerness. "I take it you're ready to go."

Her friend nodded and then he placed his bags into the trunk, and as he did so he noticed several bags of hers as well. "Yeah, let's get going. Did you already stop at the ramen place?" He climbed into the passenger seat and saw Kira's mother in the back of the car. "Oh hey Mrs. Francis, whats up?"

The older woman smiled at Gaius and waved. "I thought it would be best to come along to make sure you two get on the boat safely, and then I can drive Kira's car home so it's not sitting in some parking lot for a whole week."

Gaius nodded and was then given a large plastic bowl that was warm to the touch, with a plastic spoon that rested on top of the sealed container. "Yum thanks,' he said hungrily, "I can't wait to dig into this. Did you get it how I like?"

Kira nodded and replied, "I got you extra spicy meat with peppers, and I made sure that they didn't skimp on the curry powder." She then reached into her purse and pulled out a card that was in a hard plastic Duel Monsters case. "This is yours too. I got it at the card shop over on Aiiba, only cost me like 1,000 Yen. Consider it an early birthday present, and to celebrate your entry. I know that with your old deck missing, you need all the help you can get."

Gaius set down the bowl and took the card that Kira had in her hands. "Wow, XYZ Dragon Cannon, this will go perfect with the other pieces of the set that I got before." He smiled and then slid the card into the deck box that was in his jacket pocket, with the long black sleeves covering him from the coldness of the night air. He then quickly ate as the pair traveled to docks, and by the time they pulled into the parking lot, the young duelist took his last spoonful of the dish.

The pair of friends exited the car and retrieved their bags as Kira's mother moved from the back seat to the front. They then followed the markers along the docks until they saw a large ship in the distance and continued walking forward as the dock numbers increased. When they neared the boat, they could make out a line of a few dozen or so people that had already formed, and a quick check of Gaius' phone revealed that they were only 10 minutes away from the departure of the boat.

Gaius picked up the pace and they waited at the end of the line, watching as several other stragglers joined them in the next several minutes. The young man turned to his friend and mused, "I'm surprised there are only so few duelists here. Maybe the tournament won't be as hard as I thought." A chuckle then arose as a man in front of Gaius turned and spoke.

"Don't bet on it, kid. I heard that some of the best Duelists that Pegasus invited are already on board, and that they get special VIP rooms and everything. Most of us out here are just the average players." The man shook his head and then continued. "So, how did you get here? I don't remember seeing you at any of the top tables in the tournament circuit."

Gaius smiled and reached into the breast pocket of his jacket, and he pulled out the entry card. "I won a raffle and got this, it was sent by Pegasus personally." He then securely hid the card and continued. "I may not be an expert duelist as some of you are, but that doesn't mean I can win any less. After all, isn't skill only half of the equation in card games? No matter how good you may be, if you aren't lucky enough to draw cards when you need them, you won't go far. With that being said, I've been learning how to duel since I was a kid, and I love playing Duel Monsters. I know enough tips and tricks to hold my own, and I made a new deck just to take on this event." Gaius figured it was best to leave out the part about his stolen deck. 'I don't want to appear weak in front of any potential competitors. Who knows, they may even try to snatch my new cards if they think I'm naïve or gullible enough to let them take a look without me there.' With the young man's speech finished, the other duelist shrugged and faced forward.

"Whatever you say, man," he casually replied, "if you really think you can take on the tournament, more power to you. With any luck you and I will see each other in the finals."

Gaius nodded and then he scanned the crowd, seeing if he could pick anyone out that he recognized. Most of the duelists seemed normal enough as he looked over his competition, many duelists his age or slightly older, although he did see a few child duelists standing next to people who looked to be in their 30's. 'I guess they must be real dueling prodigies if Pegasus would invite them to the tournament, I wonder how long they've played and who taught them to be so skilled. I honestly don't know how I'd feel if I went toe-to-toe with a middle schooler, let alone if I lost to one.' He slowly chuckled at the thought of a pint-size dueling terror and continued to try and analyze his opponents.

As his gaze continued to peruse the line, one particular person caught his eye. A man a dozen or so people ahead of Gaius had bright bluish-teal hair, which was seemingly permed into a bowl-cut. His attire was also similarly colored, with a plain blue buttoned-up shirt and with what appeared to be silk or satin pants. 'I guess he really likes blue,' Gaius thought as he continued to look down the line of duelists, 'and I wonder where he gets his fashion sense.' As his eyes drifted to the line, he gritted as teeth as he finally noticed a familiar face that was standing at the front of the line.

Garek Drake stood casually, his eyes seemingly transfixed on the boat as he too waited until they were let on board. 'He must have gotten one of those entry cards in his booster box,' Gaius thought. 'I wish I would have chosen that one, that way I could have given the extra entry to one of my friends instead of letting someone like him have a place in the tournament. I really hope he gets knocked out early, and what's more I would love to be the one to do it. After all, I'm so used to his deck that I know all of the ways to defeat it.' Gaius then reminded himself of Garek's deck, which mostly consisted of various monsters with high attack points and cards which inflicted direct damage. 'I just have to play smart and make sure I pay attention to defense as well as offense, then the duel would be an easy win.'

Gaius then turned to his friend and directed her attention to the front of the line. "Look who's here" he grudgingly spoke, as he spat the words like some sort of poison. "I'd probably quit Duel Monsters if someone like him won the tournament. He doesn't care about anyone besides himself and making others feel horrible. I'd love to be able to knock him out of the tournament and wave to him as he has to paddle his way home." The young man could feel his face redden in anger as he continued to look at his long-time dueling rival. 'No matter what happens, I can't let him win this tournament. It would be a disgrace to the game of Duel Monsters as well as giving him something to lord over me for all time.'

Kira sighed as she looked at Garek. "I'm sorry Gaius. I know how much he hassles you both at school and at shops, but hey, if you place higher than him at least that should shut him up for a while. So just remember you have even bigger reason to win the tournament now."

A large bellow erupted from the horn of the ship to signal the deadline, and the line slowly began to move forward as Gaius watched more and more duelists board the ship. Most only needed to have their duelist ID's scanned by an official at a front of the line, but several simply showed cards similar to Gaius' and they were let on board. As Gaius neared the front of the line, he grabbed his card from his breast pocket and held it tightly in his hand. When his turn came, he handed the card to a tall man with a coiffed hair-style who was decked head to toe in black; from a black suit, matching black sunglasses, and even black socks and shoes. The official looked at the card for a moment and then pulled the pair aside.

"Gaius Vi Britannia, right?" The suited man asked. "I was told to personally greet you on Mr. Pegasus' behalf, and he is thoroughly looking forward to seeing how you fare in the tournament. The invitation card that you won from attending the regional championship is one of a kind, and that itself should be considered a prize no matter how many duels you win on the island. If you ever choose to part with that card, I'd daresay no card or deck would be of greater value than what you have in your hand." He then waved the pair on so that they could board the ship.

The dark grey vessel appeared to have multiple floors as well as a large deck where many were congregating in groups, seemingly talking about Duel Monsters or about the upcoming event. Gaius and Kira watched the various players milling about as the rest of the duelists boarded, and then they started to look at the ship itself.

"This boat is so big," Kira exclaimed. "I haven't ever been on anything this large before, not even when my step-dad took my mom and I on a cruise around Australia last year. I wonder how many people this even fits, or why anyone would need this much space just to ferry some duelists to an island. " The young woman broke away from her friend and began to explore the deck, while Gaius did the same.

As Gaius looked closely at the sides of the ship, he could make out small spots of rust or wear that seemed to have been cleaned up or painted over very recently. 'I wonder why a tycoon like Pegasus invited us to a boat that looks like it has seen better days. There must be a reason for this, I would think that he'd get negative publicity for the tournament if someone complained about any shoddy conditions they found.' He mulled the idea over, and then a thought suddenly came to him. 'This must be the same ship that Pegasus used in his first Duelist Kingdom event a decade ago. It probably took a few months of time and effort to get the ship out of mothballs and make it look almost like-new.' The young man spotted his friend near the front of the boat, and he joined her as they then made their way inside.

Gaius and Kira walked through am open doorway and found themselves in a large dorm-room area, with numerous numbered cots and bunk beds on the far side of the room and similarly numbered cubby holes near the beds. The pair found a set of bunk beds that were unused and quickly stowed their camping gear in the corresponding space, while they both kept their dueling deck and binder bag with them as they continued to look around the room. There were several tables set up with duelists milling around and examining each other's binders in an attempt to enhance their deck before the tournament.

"I'll see if any of them have cute monsters that I could put in my collection," Kira chimed in as she walked up to the nearest table. Within moments she was flipping through binders and looking in card boxes, setting cards aside from all monster types and sets, as she kept muttering to herself on how cute this card or that card was as she set them aside.

Gaius followed his friend. Although he knew his deck was decent enough in its own right, it was also untested in a serious match. That meant if he found any card that could improve his deck, it was worth picking up. He perused a large binder as Kira flipped through, and took note of several cards that could be used to improve his deck. After a quick trade with the individual for several of Gaius' Aqua-type monster cards, the young duelist added the new cards to his deck.

"Thanks brother, may the great waves of the ocean grant you good luck in your quest to win the tournament," the tan duelist who was clad in blue said as he finished trading with Gaius. "I personally hope my endeavor is more successful then my last at this island."

Gaius was puzzled for a moment and he asked his trading partner. "Wait, so you've been to this island before? When?"

The older man chuckled and his long jet-black hair moved in tandem with his body. "You don't recognize me? The name's Mako Tsunami. I played in the first Duelist Kingdom tournament a decade ago, and I'm so glad to be back so I can show everyone what the sea can really do." The man then flexed his muscles and continued to speak. "I won't let anyone get in my way, not Seto Kaiba, not Joey Wheeler, and certainly not Yugi Moto."

Gaius paused for a moment, feeling confused by this strange man. 'I've never really heard of this guy before, although a book that I read about Yugi mentioned that he faced some sea duelist in his first tournament. I also remember reading that several cards used in the duel had added effects because of the kind of field they were playing on.' The young man raised an eyebrow as the man prattled on a about the strength of the ocean and other seamen tropes.

After several minutes of listening to Mako continue on, with the fishermen roping Gaius in whenever the young man tried to break away, the young duelist couldn't help but speak up. "I don't even think any of them are competing in the tournament, but I'm sure you'll do well with how you competed in the past." Gaius honestly wasn't sure how reliable Mako's prediction that his deck was an "overwhelming wave that would drown all competitors" was, but the young man just wanted to be free of the man's over-enthusiasm.

"Say," the fisherman continued, "would you want to make camp with me when we get to the island? I know all the best fishing spots so you'll never have to worry about having a warm fresh-cooked meal. Plus if we scope out competition together I'm sure we'll both make it to the finals. You see I have a really smart way to get challengers, first I leave out..." Gaius managed to block out the duelist's voice from his senses for a moment and turned to see Kira approach the pair.

"Oh hey Gaius," she smiled as she stood near him, "who's your friend?"

Before Gaius could respond, Mako began cheerily speaking to the young woman. "Hello there fair maiden. My name is Mako Tsunami, the best duelist in all of the seven seas. I plan on winning this tournament and using the prizes to open a fish preserve in the name of my father, whom I lost when I was a child." He looked down for a moment and seeming reflected on the loss with a grimace on his face.

Kira frowned and then patted the man on the back. "I'm very sorry that happened to you. It's never good to lose a family member, especially a parent, let alone at such a young age." Kira's father had passed a few years after she was born. From then on it had it had just been her and her mother, until several years ago when her mother married a man who she had been dating for over a year. The young woman slowly smiled at the man and continued to speak. "So, you were given an invite by Pegasus to come to the tournament because you've done so well before?"

Mako looked up at the young woman and slowly shook his head. "Actually, no. I've been out of the competitive scene for a few years, been working as a trainer for the Domino City aquarium so I could save up money for my preserve. I took the money that I've saved when I could over the past few years and bought two cases of booster boxes. I managed to get one of those randomly distributed entry cards, and then sold most of the cards from the boxes to make some of my money back." He paused for a moment as he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a card which looked slightly similar to the one Gaius had received.

"I thought about selling this too online, but I figured this was fate's way of telling me that my time as a duelist was not yet over, and that it was time for the lord of the seven seas to sail again. This time, my harbor is victory. I won't let anyone stand between me and the first place prize!"

He then once again brought up his past experience at major tournaments and his knowledge of Pegasus' island. Gaius stood there mostly uninterested, and sighed as he watched Kira absorb every piece of information as if he was some great sage.

"What, you really want us to come with you Mako?" Kira cooed as she turned towards her best friend. "Isn't that such a nice offer, Gaius? That way we won't have to worry about food or anything while we're there, and if the two of you help each other, I'm sure you'll both make it to the finals. This seems like a no-brainier."

Gaius sighed and chuckled for a moment. "What you're telling me is that you pretty much entered the same way I did, through random chance. Talking about your card playing ability isn't a bad thing, as long as your statements are actually based in fact. The fact that I've spent my life watching Duel Monsters and haven't ever heard of you shows a lot, and even you yourself said that you haven't really played in years. You seem like a nice guy Mako, but I really don't want the company, or having the competition too close to me." He paused for a minute and then a thought came to him.

"How about this, Mako. You want to prove how good of a duelist you are, and you want us to accompany you once we get to Duelist Kingdom. I'll make a wager, I'll duel you right now before we get to the island. If you win, we'll come with you and stay with you as long as you're in the tournament; if you lose, you have to promise to not ask us again and to not divulge to anyone my dueling deck or strategy." He saw a pondering expression form on the seaman's face. "Do we have a deal?"

Mako was silent for a moment and then he nodded. "A true warrior never turns down a challenge, so I shall accept your terms. However, I ask for one additional concession if I win, since you are getting two agreements to my one. If I win, the lovely lady will accompany me on a date as soon as the tournament is over." He smiled wide and flexed his arms.

Kira started to stammer a bit in surprise and spoke, panicking slightly. "Mako, you seem like a nice guy but we just met. I don't even know if I'm looking for a..." Gaius quickly spoke over her.

"Sure Mako, if you win you get a date with Kira. I'll agree to that." He then pulled his friend close and whispered in her ear. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure that my deck is strong enough to beat him, plus I do need to try it officially before the tournament starts, so this warm up match will be perfect." He then laughed and smiled at his friend. "Besides, worst case scenario is if I lose, we spend some time with this guy and then he buys you dinner or something. Then you never have to talk to him after that if you don't like him."

Kira slowly nodded, although her face still revealed a small feeling of worry, and even possibly dread. "I guess it's alright. Staying with him would be a good idea while we're on the island would be a good idea, and the date doesn't have to be all bad, even if he does seem a bit like a freaky fish guy. I mean, is it normal for even a seasoned fisherman to talk about fishing this much?"

An exasperated look appeared on Mako's face as he apparently overheard Kira's remark. "I am not a freaky fish guy! Having a healthy interest in the ocean is perfectly natural, especially for someone who's a master baiter like me."

Gaius chortled as Mako uttered the last sentence. "A master baiter? Yeah, I can certainly see that." The young man laughed heartily and then looked towards the man. "Let's get this duel started, the stakes have already been named." Mako agreed and the trio found a small table on the deck of the boat. "We'll use standard tournament rules for this game, and I'll let you take the first turn since I challenged you." They both placed their decks on the table, and all three of them were eager for the game to begin.


	4. Chapter 4

The pair shuffled their decks and then cut their opponent's deck once. When this was done, they both drew five cards to begin the game. Gaius looked at his opening hand and tried to discern a strategy. 'Dekoichi the Battle-chained Locomotive, X-head Cannon, Covering Fire, Machine Duplication, and Reflect Bounder.' He quickly organized his hand with monster cards in front and waited for Mako to make his move.

The fisherman smiled wide and played one card from his hand face-up onto the table. "I play Abyss Soldier. This powerful beast has 1800 attack points, more than enough for whatever puny kind of deck you play. I'll then place one card facedown, and will activate one of my favorite spell cards: A Legendary Ocean. This card decreases the level of all Water monsters in my hand by 1 star, as well as powering up any of my denizens of the deep by 200 attack points. Let's see if you can come close to matching my sea creature's might."

Gaius frowned for a moment as he started to draw for his turn. 'Machine King, this won't help right now. I'm surprised he was able to make such a strong showing in the very first turn of the game. None of the cards in my hand can come close to taking out his Abyss Soldier. I better play it safe for now and play defensively. I can always wait to draw something better on my next turn.' He pulled Dekoichi from his hand and set the card on the field, and readied Covering Fire behind it. "I play one monster facedown and then set one card onto the field." He gritted his teeth as his turn ended, knowing that being put on the defense so early in a duel was never good.

Mako Tsunami laughed as he began his turn. "What was all that talk before about us being on equal levels? I will show you the true power of the ocean, and your body shall lay broken against the rocky shore! Time to play a monster from the long-forgotten past, Warrior of Atlantis. This monster has 1900 attack, 100 more than my Abyss Soldier, so its power becomes 2100 with my field power boost." He seemed to study his hand for a moment before he revealed a fish-looking creature to Gaius. "I can use my Abyss Soldier's effect by discarding any Water-attribute monster to return any one card on the field to its owner's hand. I'll choose to send your facedown back row card. If you were hoping to surprise my monsters with a trap card, you're out of luck. I can use Abyss Soldier's effect once per turn as long as I pay the cost, and I have more than enough guppies to feed to my beasts."

Gaius sighed as he picked up his Covering Fire card. 'At least I wasn't banking on using this card to stop his monsters. The effect of his creature is seriously disruptive, I have to find a way to take that out if I want to have any hope of winning.' The young man looked towards his opponent, who seemed to be readying to attack.

"I'll have my Abyss Soldier attack your facedown monster. It's time to be dragged kicking and screaming into the dark depths below!"

Gaius flipped up his monster, revealing Dekoichi. "When Dekoichi the Battlechained Locomotive is flipped Face-up, I may draw an extra card from my deck." He drew from the deck, and looked down as he saw Axe of Despair. 'Nice. I can use this with my X-Head Cannon to destroy one of his monsters on my next turn, but first I'm going to lose half of my life points.'

Mako shook his head at his opponent as he saw what monster was destroyed. "A Machine deck, huh? I hope you've now seen that my ocean creatures can cause any of your technological marvels to rust and decay. I'll now have my Warrior of Atlantis attack you directly, decreasing your life points from 4000 to 1900. With one direct attack you're more than halfway to defeat. It's your move, my friend. Let's see if you can recover."

Gaius paused as he analyzed his hand. 'I have to hope that his facedown card isn't a trap. If I play my X-Head Cannon and am unsuccessful in taking out his Abyss Soldier, it may be all over for me.' The young man drew for his turn. 'Another Dekoichi,' he sighed slowly. 'Trying to stall when I'm already on defense won't help, so I have to attack.' He grabbed X-Head Cannon and played it onto the field. "I play this card, in attack mode."

Mako laughed openly as he read the card's attack. "Gaius that monster is far too weak to match with my creatures, you'll need another card in order to take any of my monsters down."

Gaius sneered for a moment and then flashed his Axe of Despair card from his hand. "I'll equip my X-Head Cannon with Axe of Despair. This equip spell card raises the attack power of my monster by 1000, making it 2800. This is more than enough to take out your army. X-Head Cannon will attack your Abyss Soldier, decreasing your life points by 800." The young duelist smiled for a second and tried to formulate his next move. 'With only one monster in play, it'll take only one big attack from Mako and I'll be back to square one. I may as well set Covering Fire again to try and bluff him.' "I'll then set one card facedown and will end my turn."

Mako grumbled to himself as he drew for his turn. "I'll set one monster facedown and then a second back-row card facedown as well. Finally, I'll switch my Warrior of Atlantis into defense mode, and then will end my turn."

Gaius smiled wide as he drew. "I guess you didn't get what you needed, Mako. It's nice to see you on the defensive now." He then examined the card he just drew. 'Y-Dragon Head, excellent. I can combine this with my X-Head Cannon to destroy his face-up Spell and Trap cards, but since the only one he has now is the field spell, I'm better off wiping out both of his monsters this turn.' He thought for a second and decided on what to play. "I'll summon Y-Dragon Head in attack mode. I'll then move to my battle phase and my X-Head Cannon will wipe out your facedown monster."

As Gaius declared his attack, Mako defiantly shook his head. "When you enter your battle phase, I'll activate both of my facedown cards. Tornado Wall and Astral Barrier, activate! Use the power of the sea to negate my opponent's attack." Mako laughed as Gaius looked confused for a moment. "Tornado Wall says I take no battle damage from any attack while A Legendary Ocean is on the field, and Astral Barrier lets me make any attack that you make bypass my monsters and hit me directly, which is then negated by Tornado Wall. My sea creatures are untouchable by any attack, and my life points are perfectly safe as well. So, is it my turn now?" He asked his young opponent.

"Not yet, Mako. I still have a second main phase after my battle phase. I'll send both X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head to the graveyard to special summon XY-Dragon Cannon from my Fusion Deck. My new monster has a special effect, the exact kind that will help me right now. I'll discard my Dekoichi from my hand, to destroy one face-up spell or trap that you have in play. I think I'll select A Legendary Ocean, and as soon as that card leaves the field, so does your Tornado Wall. Your three-card combo is very nice, but even the best strategy can be picked apart one card at a time. I'll then end my turn, let's see what you've got."

The seaman gritted his teeth as he drew for his turn. "Not many opponents think to target A Legendary Ocean, but normally I'm able to defend my sea better as well. I hate to do this, but I don't have a choice if I want to take out your Fusion monster. I'll sacrifice both my monsters to summon Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth. This behemoth has 2800 attack power, and I can special summon four level four or lower Fish monsters from my deck to support my great beast." He quickly rifled through his deck and placed four monsters on the field. "I'll play 3 Torpedo Fish and one Deepsea Macrotrema, all in defense mode. The monsters cannot attack and have their effects negated, but I can sacrifice one if you try to target my Coleacanth and stop the effect of your card. For now though, I'll have my Coleacanth attack your monster, reducing your life points by 600 and clearing your board besides your one leftover facedown card. After that, you may go."

Gaius looked down at his nigh-empty field and at the cards in his hand. 'He has 3200 life points, and I have only 1300. I need to come up with a good strategy soon or else I'll be stuck with this guy. I only have Machine Duplication, Machine King and Reflect Bounder in my hand, and I still get one card for the turn. Reflect Bounder can use its effect to inflict damage to his life-points, but he'd still have 400 points left and mine would be reduced to 200. He could just attack me again next turn and that would be the end of me.' He sighed and slowly drew a card to begin his turn. As he looked at the card in his hand, a smile spread across his face.

'I actually pulled this card,' he thought as he looked at his Cyber Dragon card. 'I've never been able to play this card in any of my practice duels, but I know it's incredibly powerful. I can use its effect to bolster my fighting force and get two monsters out in one turn. "Since you have a monster on the field and I do not, I can special summon Cyber Dragon from my hand onto my side of the field in attack mode. Then I normal summon my Reflect Bounder, also in attack mode. I'll have my Cyber Dragon and my Reflect Bounder both attack your Torpedo Fish. Since they were in defense mode, your life points are safe, but the same isn't true of your monsters." The young man felt a small amount of confidence as his turn ended. 'If he plays how I think he will, I'll be able to take out his creature on his next turn.'

Mako quickly drew a card from his deck and set one card facedown. "I don't want to attack your Reflect Bounder because of its effect, but your Cyber Dragon is easy pickings for my Coelacanth. Its attack will destroy your monster and deal you 600 points of damage."

"Not so fast Mako," Gaius interrupted, "as you declare your attack on Cyber Dragon, I activate my facedown Covering Fire. It lets me add the attack points of my Reflect Bounder to my Cyber Dragon. That raises his attack power all the way to 3800, which destroys your sea creature and deals you 1000 points of damage." Gaius sighed in relief as Mako discarded his Coelacanth from the field. 'He fell for it, good. Even so I need to keep playing smart otherwise I'll lose.'

Mako looked frustrated as he glanced at the cards in his hand. "I guess I'll just end my turn. I wasn't expecting you to be able to defeat my great beast, but beware…my ancient Coelacanth is not the biggest nor the best creature in my deck. You may have won the battle, but before the duel is over the war shall be mine!"

A sense of panic overcame Gaius for a moment as he began his turn. 'Does he really have something better than that giant creature? It was hard enough to destroy that monster in the first place, and I'd hate to have to try and take down something that Mako thinks is even stronger.' The young man drew for his turn and examined the card he obtained. 'Mechanicalchaser, that's one of the strongest four star or lower monsters in my deck. I can play him and have my smaller monsters wipe out his field, and finally my Cyber Dragon can attack him directly, leaving him only 100 left.' He placed his new monster onto the field and announced his move. "I'll play my Mechanicalchaser and then have him and my Reflect Bounder attack your two fish."

Mako laughed as Gaius declared the attack on his creatures. "I'll activate my facedown card, Waboku. My trap prevents my monsters from being destroyed by battle this turn, and it keeps my life points completely safe."

Gaius let out an exasperated noise as he saw his attack fail. 'I assumed that was a trap, but I was hoping for something not as widespread. Even if he destroyed one of my monsters it would have been worth it if the other attacks were successful. I don't really have any other cards in my hand that I can use, so I guess I have to end my turn and hope for better results next round.' He placed his hand down in front of him as he announced the end of his turn. "Your trap was a good play Mako. That leaves me out of options, so I have no choice but to end."

Mako sneered slightly as he began his turn. "You may have the advantage right now, but that's all about to change." He then placed a card from his hand into the graveyard. "I can discard the Warrior of Atlantis from my hand to search my deck for A Legendary Ocean card and put it into my hand. I'll then play the field spell to boost my monsters. My next card will be summoning Orca, Mega Fortress of Darkness in attack mode." The duelist then sent his Torpedo Fish to the graveyard. "With my Orca's effect, I can destroy any monster on the field by sacrificing a Torpedo Fish. I'll target your Reflect Bounder with the effect, ending the nuisance once and for all. Next, I'll have my Orca attack with 2300 points on your Cyber Dragon, which inflicts 200 points of damage to your life points, then it's your turn. You have only one monster left in play, and next turn that will be gone as well, along with any chance of you winning this duel."

The younger duelist looked at his field and wondered what he could do to stop the relentless assault by Mako. 'No matter how many times I seem to push him back in this duel, he keeps coming back again and again with a never-ending army of sea creatures. His deck must have a weakness that I can exploit.' He paused as he perused the cards in his hand. 'Nothing that I have here will help me stop his creatures. I need some way to stall while I recoup my forces.' He drew for his turn, and smiled wide as he played the card. "Luck has rewarded me, Mako. I play the Swords of Revealing Light spell card. This prevents you from attacking me for three whole turns, which should be more than enough time for me to launch a counter-attack. In the meantime, I can have my Mechanicalchaser attack your Macrotrema, leaving you with only your Orca in attack mode and one monster in defense on the field. With that, my turn ends."

Mako lightly pounded his fist on the table as he looked at his hand. "I can't believe you got a draw that lucky. Since I can't attack, I may as well just increase my sea army. With my draw for the turn, I'll play one monster facedown in defense mode and I'll end my turn."

'My Swords of Revealing Light card has stopped Mako in his tracks,' thought Gaius. 'Now I just need to draw something good to take out his Orca.' He sighed as he saw his draw. 'Oh lovely, Perfect Machine King. If I had a monster in play besides Mechanicalchaser this would be an amazing draw, but right now it's useless to me. I can at least sacrifice my chaser to summon Machine King in attack mode. That way he'd have 2300 attack and would match Mako's Orca. If I'm able to play another machine monster on my next turn I could take out his whale for good.' The young man smiled as he made his move. "I'll sacrifice my Mechanicalchaser to play Machine King in attack mode. He gets an extra 100 attack points for each machine on the field, which increases his attack from 2200 to 2300. My Machine King can't defeat your Orca yet without being destroyed himself, so instead I'll have him attack your defense position monster."

Mako flipped over his facedown monster and laughed gleefully. "You attacked my Yomi Ship. This boat is infested with a devastating plague that infects and destroys any monster who attacks it, including mechanical ones. That means your Machine King is destroyed, and once again you have no monsters on the field. I thought you were really going to give me a challenge Gaius, but you haven't even faced my most powerful monster yet. By the looks of it I won't even need to use him in this duel, and I won't even draw him by the time my denizens of the deep lay waste to your life points." He continued to chuckle as Gaius glared at his opponent.

'I have no other low-cost monsters in my hand, and nothing else that I can use either,' Gaius thought. 'My Swords is the only thing keeping his attack force at bay, and in two more turns he'll be free to direct an all-out attack against me. If I ever needed another good draw it's right now, before my card expires.' He paused and checked his hand. "I have to end my turn," he meekly uttered. Gaius wanted nothing more than to show up his arrogant opponent, but he wasn't sure if he had the means.

"Splendid," Mako beamed. "I'll begin my turn by drawing and playing my last Warrior of Atlantis in Attack mode. He can't attack this turn due to your Swords of Revealing Light but that's fine by me, just one more turn and the waves shall crash upon you. I now end my turn, so feel free to draw and try to find a way to beat my creatures."

Gaius slowly muttered to himself and drew a card. 'Needle Burrower, this card needs one tribute in order for me to summon it. He felt distraught and looked at his deck with a sense of woe. 'Normally I have much better games than this with my fiend deck, I don't know what's wrong. Maybe I just haven't broken in the cards enough for me to get the right feel for the deck, plus this was kind of thrown together in a week so I guess it's kind of expected. I can't let this kind of luck get me down once we get to the island. Odds are one bad game and I'll be knocked out of the tournament, and I'd feel like a total failure if I lose in the first round.' He placed the cards in his hand facedown on the table and looked down at his field. "It's your turn, Mako. I have nothing."

The fishermen drew and as he looked at his card, he nodded and began to speak. "This is the last turn that my monsters are held captive by your Swords of Revealing Light, but I have just drawn the card that will seal your fate. I will sacrifice my Warrior of Atlantis and my Orca Mega Fortress of Darkness to summon my most powerful creature and the rarest card I own, The Tyrant Neptune!"

Gaius looked at the newly-summoned creature and was baffled. "Your monster has 0 attack points Mako, I would hardly call it powerful by any means. Did you ever hit your head when you were out swimming in a pool or something?"

The man chuckled and replied. "Hardly Gaius, my monster is in fact quite powerful. The Tyrant Neptune gains the original attack and defense points of the monsters that I used to summon it; that means that my monster has 4000 attack points by itself, which is increased to 4200 by my field spell card. Furthermore, when my Neptune comes into play, he can copy the abilities of any monster that was used to summon him. I'll have him take on the effects of my Orca, meaning that if I run into any Cannonball Spear Shellfish I can destroy your spell or trap cards."

Mako began to laugh and addressed Gaius. "Do you study Roman mythology at all? Not only is Neptune the name of one of the planets in our solar system, but the planet got its name from ancient mythology. Neptune was the God of the ocean, who ruled over the mighty waves and was the brother of Jupiter and Pluto. How does it feel Gaius, to be face-to-face with a true God? To have to try and defeat something more powerful than the legendary Obelisk the Tormentor? I'm surprised you haven't felt crushed already by the weight of the sea."

Gaius felt his hands shake for a moment before he regained his composure. 'I have to beat something that's in the class of the Egyptian God cards? I never thought I'd have to face something so powerful, let alone before this tournament even began. I know nothing in my deck can even come close to beating it in terms of sheer force, but I might be able to take it down using a combination of spell and trap cards.' As the young man looked toward his opponent, Mako waved him on signaling the end of his turn. Gaius then moved his Swords of Revealing Light card from the field to his graveyard.

'This is it, my final turn,' Gaius thought in despair. 'I need to draw a card that can change the game right now, or it's all over.' He solemnly picked up the top card off of his deck, his eyes closed as he couldn't bear to look at the card that would almost certainly mean his defeat. As he slowly opened his eyes, he found himself smiling wide. 'I can't believe it, this is one of the few cards that would help me turn this around and win the duel.' He glanced at his duel opponent and laughed. "You kept going on about how your monster was stronger than Obelisk the Tormentor, right? But duelists back then never had to deal with cards like these! I play the spell card Overload Fusion."

The young man continued to speak, his voice racing fast with excitement. "Overload Fusion lets me banish from the field or graveyard as many machine monsters as I want, as long as one of them is a Cyber Dragon. In total, I am banishing all nine of my monsters in my graveyard in order to summon my most powerful monster, Chimeratech Overdragon. Chimeratech Overdragon's attack is equal to the number of monsters used to summon it, times 800. That means my creature has 7200 attack points, which is almost twice as much as your monster. Chimeratech can also attack once for each monster that was used in his summon, so I can attack a total of nine times as well. I only need one attack to finish you though, so for my final move of the game I'll attack your Neptune with my Chimeratech Overdragon. You'll take 3200 points of damage, reducing your life points to 0."

Mako began to sputter and flail while checking his cards as Gaius announced his attack. "Uh uh..I activate..no wait..my Neptune..I have nothing to save it. No!" After several seconds the fisherman discarded his monsters and shook his head. "Wow, Gaius. I never thought that my greatest sea creature would be able to be defeated. I'll have to look over my deck before we dock and try to fix the holes in my ship that this duel revealed to me. Thank you for a truly epic duel, my friend. As per our agreement, I won't ask you to stay with me, and your deck strategy shall remain a secret. I hope we both see each other again in the finals."

Gaius nodded and extended his hand to shake Mako's. "Thank you, Mako. I hope you do well too. I also hope you know there are no hard feelings, I just don't want to have to look after someone else besides Kira and I in case anything happens. I can only hope you understand."

Mako smiled as he returned the handshake. "Of course, it's always best that one only swim in the seas that one knows best. It's getting late so it's time I put in to bed. If you want to talk at all tomorrow morning before we disembark, feel free to come over if you see me out and about." The fisherman got up from the table and began to walk back towards the sleeping cabin.

The young man looked at his watch and concurred. "Yeah, I didn't notice what time it was either. We should both go to bed as well. But before then I'll change parts of my deck around. I only have so much time to change things around before the actual tournament begins." He looked at his friend and smiled. "I bet you're glad I won, you didn't seem to be looking forward to going out with Mako. For a while it was really touch and go, though. I need to work on my dueling technique if I hope to do well in the tournament."

Kira nodded in agreement. "Yeah thanks Gaius, although it was you who almost forced me to go on a date in the first place. I hate when people go on blind dates or are set up on dates by their friends, if you had lost I might not have talked to you for a long while." She slyly smiled and then laughed. "Besides, I don't really think I could get along with him and all of those ocean puns. I guess I'm just not a big fan of sea men." She then turned red when she realized what her statement sounded like and looked away.

Gaius laughed and patted his friend on the back. "Don't worry, I knew what you meant." He then looked in the direction of the sleeping cabin. "Let's get to bed ourselves. We need to be up early if we want to be in top shape for the tournament tomorrow." The two of them walked back into the large sleeping area and laid down on the beds that they had staked out earlier. Gaius spent an hour going over his deck in his mind, making note of what cards to change before the tournament. 'Tomorrow it all begins,' he thought hopefully. 'I finally have a real chance to go against the best of the best, to prove to everyone what I can really do.' As he drifted off to sleep, he had no way of knowing what would occur once he reached the island.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I'm having major surgery 8/1, so I just decided to upload all of these now so you can read these while I recover which may be 2-4 weeks before I'm able to write again. I'll try and have 8 up before my surgery, and that would cover me through the end of August

As Gaius slept, he tossed and turned. His dreams were plagued with an odd sensation of fear as well as confusion. He found himself looking down from above at himself and Kira. His friend was clutching her sides and she began to yell as if she was in great pain, although Gaius could see no reason for her to be hurt as she seemed free of any injuries. 'What is going on,' he thought as he floated above the scene. 'If I'm down there with Kira, then how am I up here, too? ' The scene then shifted as all he could feel was a sense of absolute terror and he found himself starting into a pitch-black abyss.

He then awoke, lightly covered in sweat and looked towards his friend who was sleeping nearby. 'Everything's fine,' he thought. 'It was just a random bad dream is all.' He turned over and slowly fell back asleep, and the next thing he felt was light prodding on his shoulder.

"Get up sleepyhead," a voice calmly urged. "The boat is set to dock at Duelist Kingdom in an hour and you still need to work on your deck."

The young man's eyes flew open and he bolted up in the bed. "Ah I slept too late," he exclaimed as he scrambled up out of bed and ran to his bag in the cubby. He quickly pulled out his deck, along with his binder of extra cards and got to work on the changes that he decided on the night before. As he was looking through his deck, he noticed the spell card Machine Duplication. 'I don't have any good targets for this right now, just A-Team Trap Disposal Unit. The card is decent on its own to stop my opponent's trap cards, but it's a seriously weak monster, so if it stays out for too long I'd lose some serious life points.' He thought for a moment as he pulled the three machine cards out of his deck. 'I need a better card in here otherwise Machine Duplication is useless. I remember seeing that there was a new powerful machine-type monster with 500 or less attack that was released in the new set. I'll check the Duel Monsters online guide to find the name.' After a few minutes of searching, Gaius had his answer.

"Hey," he yelled to those who were still milling about the common room, "does anyone have a Card Trooper?" Several hands were raised, and the young duelist raced over to each individual, trying to broker a deal for the card. 'If I get three copies I can use them as both offensive monsters, as well as their draw ability to help decrease the number of cards in my deck so I get the cards I need easier.' After twenty minutes of haggling and several super or ultra rare cards from his binder, Gaius added his three new Card Trooper cards to his deck.

'Industrial Illusions hasn't put out any new banlists since Machiner's Command was released, so unless they announce an emergency banlist at the tournament I should be fine with three of these. He'll surely be limited in the next list they release though, so I shouldn't get too used to having three.' The young man smiled and finished the planned modifications to his deck. Once he was done, he walked out of the common room, one bag on his shoulder and the other on his back.

He found Kira leaning on one the railing of the deck as she was staring out at the ocean, seemingly in contemplation. "Hey Kira, how did you sleep?" He asked as he approached her. The young man had hoped she slept better than he had, as he still shook off the odd dream from the night before.

The woman turned around and smiled as she saw the young duelist. "Hey Gaius. Yeah, I slept fine besides me being used to my queen size mattress." She playfully laughed and then turned her head towards the bow of the boat. "If you go to the front you can see Duelist Kingdom as we approach the island. I prefer to look out the side though as it's just boring seeing one shape get bigger and bigger as you get closer. According to the last ship-wide announcement, we should be there in thirty minutes or so." She sighed and looked out towards the ocean once again. "How did you sleep, by the way?"

Gaius paused, 'there's no reason to tell her about some silly dream I had.' He then began to speak, "I slept fine, just was odd knowing I was sleeping in the same huge room as tons of strangers. I bet you were a bit unnerved too as most of the people here are guys." He then walked to the railing and put his arms around Kira.

The woman laughed and shook her head. "Nah, not really, I noticed there were cameras around the room to make sure everyone was safe as well as people's stuff. Plus I knew if anyone tried anything, you'd protect me." She then looked towards her friend and smiled. "So, what do you want to do while we wait? Maybe scope out some of the fellow duelists? I know your duel with Mako was pretty tough last night, so hopefully he's an exception to the rule."

Gaius pondered his options for a moment before speaking. "I don't think maybe people will be dueling this close to docking, so I don't think I could find out much besides just asking people. I'm sure people are as protective of their strategies and deck types as I am, since you don't know who may end up being your next opponent. I think I heard someone mention a breakfast buffet on one of the upper decks as I was trading this morning, so let's get some quick food before we dock. With any luck they'll have some bento boxes or something we can take with us once we dock." The two of them explored the ship and found a large room similar to the sleeping quarters, but this room had a long line of food in warming trays with glass plates and silverware. A few dozen round tables were placed around the large room, and the majority of the room was empty except for several other stragglers.

The two friends quickly filled their plates of their favorite foods that they could find; Gaius having two rolled eggs with spices and a bowl of curry rice, while Kira chose some natto, white rice, and an orange. As they sat down at the closest available table, Gaius began to scarf down his breakfast; having devoured an entire egg by the time Kira had started on her mixing her natto with her rice.

The young woman looked towards Gaius and sternly shook her head. "This isn't a race, Gaius. Even if you aren't the first one off the boat the tournament won't start right away. You don't want to eat too fast and get too sick to duel, right?"

Gaius' eyes grew wide as he pictured himself falling back and choking on his food, causing the young duelist to nod and slow his pace as he ate. As he finished his second egg, he spoke to Kira who was starting to enjoy her rice. "I know, it's just I'm in such a hurry to get out there. I still can't believe I'm in the tournament, and I'm curious to see what kind of format Pegasus announces. I've had such a limited time to finish my deck, so I'm going to look for every advantage I can get, including being the first one at Pegasus' castle for the announcement." He paused and continued to eat his food at a reasonable pace.

"Whatever you say, Gaius," Kira retorted as she playfully rolled her eyes at her companion and then spoke in a serious tone. "Just so you know, if you end up puking on our way to the castle I'm not stopping for you. I'll just enter the tournament myself and win it all if you can't complete." After several seconds of Gaius looking hurt and perplexed she began to laugh heartily and shook her head. "Of course I'd stop for you, silly. The look on your face though was well worth it." She smiled and continued to eat as her friend did the same.

After ten or so minutes, the two had finished their meals and then they placed their plates in a receptacle for plates and silverware. As they began to leave the room, Gaius began to feel anxious about the tournament. 'I wonder what will happen,' he thought as he thought of the new deck he had built, 'do I really have what it takes to go all the way to the finals?' He then felt a sharp pain in his head, and memories of the dream that he had before came flooding back. 'Don't tell me I'm getting a headache. I can't afford to be sick at a time like this.' He turned to his friend, hoping she could alleviate the situation. "Do you happen to have any medication with you? I'm starting to get a little headache."

Kira nodded and started to rummage through her purse what was slung over her shoulder, finally pulling out a plastic container and handing several pills to Gaius. "Here, you can take two pills and they're supposed to last twelve hours. If you're still in pain come nightfall you can take two more."

Gaius thankfully took the pills and downed them, not wanting to waste what he had brought with them and not wanting to go back and get a drink from the breakfast hall. The pair sauntered off onto deck, and a large land mass was in sight in the distance. 'Wow,' Gaius thought, 'that must be Duelist Kingdom. Even though we're still a bit away from it, the island is massive. I've never actually seen much of the island itself, just videos of the finals that were inside Pegasus' castle.' He turned to his friend and playfully put his arm around her. "Can you believe it? We're almost there. I hope you you have fun watching me duel, because if luck is on my side I'm going straight to the top!"

Kira nodded and nudged her friend with her shoulder. "You know what they say, don't get ahead of yourself. You've only won one real game so far with your new deck and it wasn't even officially for the tournament. I believe you can make it too, but be careful to not get cocky. Most of these players have a lot more experience than you, and sometimes all it takes is a few bad draws to end a duel. Remember, you taught me that yourself, so just hope for the best and never let your guard down in a duel."

Gaius solemnly nodded and looked towards the fast-approaching island. "You're right, Kira. This will be a long road ahead of me, and I have to take it one step at a time or I could trip and lose my way." As the two contemplated the upcoming tournament, they heard a set of feet behind them. Gaius turned to see Mako standing a few feet away. "Hey Mako," the young man spoke as he ushered his new acquaintance near, "want to come and look at the island while we wait to get close enough to dock?"

"That sounds splendid my friend," the man replied as he quickly walked towards the group. "I only wish I could be on my own boat heading there, or even swimming in the great waters myself." The sailor sighed as he looked towards the island. "I think some of the people are already waiting down by the debarkation area so they can get off the boat, but I'm in no rush to leave."

As Gaius heard this, he quickly looked towards Kira and took off towards the departure area. "Thanks for the talk Mako but I can't wait to get off the boat so I can explore," he then looked behind him to see Kira trailing behind, her face showing a look of slight annoyance towards her friend's infantile behavior. As the pair reached the departure area, a line of a few dozen already stood waiting to dock. Gaius quickly stood at the back of the line, managing to cut off several others who were walking towards the end.

Within several minutes, the line had fully formed and a sound echoed from the ship, signaling that the docking was near. Gaius eagerly awaited as they pulled into a small docking location and a metal ramp lowered to allow the duelists to depart the boat. As the pair reached the bottom of the stairs, Gaius saw another Industrial Illusions employee who was checking everyone's identification. After showing his entry card and his student ID, the tall suited man handed Gaius what seemed to be an electronic ID card with the number 38 in large numbers across the front.

"Keep this card with you at all times," the man instructed. "Your duelist profile has been linked specifically to this card and your dueling number for the tournament. If you lose your card, please head back to the tournament headquarters and a replacement card will be issued to you."

Gaius examined the card for a moment and then spoke. "Where exactly is the tournament headquarters, the docks or something?" The young man seemed puzzled as the employee shook his head.

"Go up the stairs at the north end of the dock to reach Pegasus' castle for a special announcement about the tournament. The castle also serves as the base of operations for the event, so if you're ever lost try to make your way back there. The castle is elevated high enough that it is visible practically anywhere on the island. You're responsible for your own food and drink during the tournament as well, but there will be bottled water and rations given out on a first-come, first-serve basis each morning in case you run out of provisions." The older man then gave Gaius a small, folded pamphlet. "Everything I just explained is outlined here, in case you forget any of it during your stay. Good luck in the tournament." With that, he waved the pair off onto the docks and Gaius saw another card and pamphlet being handed to the duelist behind him.

"I guess we head to the castle now, I wonder what Pegasus is going to announce about the event," Gaius pondered as he walked with his friend up several long sections of golden-bronze steps until they reached the top and were in front of a large stone castle. The young man skimmed the crowd and already saw upwards of fifty people milling around waiting for their host. 'Wow, I didn't think this many people got off in front of us, we must have been really late,' he thought as he then turned and saw even more people coming from behind.

After several minutes of waiting, the crowd seemed to have doubled in size, with the pair of friends feeling a bit claustrophobic in the sense crowd. Suddenly, a sound of metal rang out as a large door was being opened nearby. Gaius looked around, but the door on the ground floor seemed to be shut. 'It must be coming from the terrace,' he thought as his gaze shifted upward. His beliefs were confirmed when he saw Maximilian Pegasus step onto the balcony overlooking the sea of players, his pale skin clothed in attire similar to what Gaius had seen at the tournament. 'Red seems to be his favorite color,' he mused as he waited for the speech to begin.

The CEO began to speak in a large booming voice. "Hello one and all, duelists from all over the world who have gained entrance to my 10th anniversary Duelist Kingdom tournament. I, Maximilian Pegasus am your host, and I'm delighted that all of you have decided to come to my event. Each of you represents the best that your country has to offer, as you have shown your dueling prowess to be allowed in; or for those lucky few who obtained a special entry card, I hope that similar luck guides you in your duels. Trust me, with competition like this, you're sure to need it." He paused for a moment to let the gravitas sink in before he continued to speak.

"In this anniversary tournament, I've decided to go high-tech with how duels and tournament outcomes are recorded. Each of you have received a special color-coded card with a number. That number corresponds to your Duelist ID for the duration of the tournament. Each time you duel, insert that card into the specified slot on the console to track your progress and begin the game against your opponent. The way you progress in this tournament isn't based upon trinkets or puzzle maps that have been used in the past, but on a simple duel win count. In order to advance to the final round of this tournament, you must win a total of four duels. 'Oh that's easy', you may be thinking, trust me you've never been so wrong. The entire tournament is single-elimination, if you lose a single game at any point during the event you're automatically out of the tournament and will be sent packing. There are a total of 128 duelists competing in this tournament, and the final round will consist of the top eight duelists facing off against each other to determine the champion. To prevent those who may seek to prey upon weaker duelists, in order for a duel to count towards your progress both players must have the same number of wins, which should put them on equal footing. Oh, and that's not all," he chuckled to himself and gazed upon those below.

"I've hired a number of dueling professionals to serve as eliminators during the tournament. They are denoted by a red armband as well as a special, black player ID card. Any duelist with four wins who is challenged by an eliminator must duel or automatically forfeit their place in the finals. If an eliminator is able to defeat a finalist before they enter the castle, the winning player will automatically take the loser's place in the final eight. Furthermore, each eliminator has been given several special cards that were created by me to enhance their dueling decks, cards that are literally one of a kind. Think of it as one final test you may encounter on your road to the championship."

"Speaking of championships," he continued, "it's time for me to reveal what you're be competing for! At the end of each duel, the winner may pick any two cards from the loser's deck or collection, regardless of rarity, and add the cards that they claim to the winner's deck. I've designed the rule specifically to prevent winning duelists receiving randomly rare cards that they have no use for normally. Besides being able to improve your dueling decks, the duelist who wins first place will be crowned the second King of Games, a title bequeathed only to Yugi Moto. Beyond the title, the winner will also receive a one-of-a-kind replica of my famous deck, and the ability to request any custom card, existing card, or custom series that their heart desires, up to forty total cards. Any cards will have to be approved by me and may be changed slightly for balance issues, but I'm sure there is no request that I won't be able to oblige." A flurry of hushed conversations and murmurs overtook the crowd as the participants discussed the possible prizes that were on the line. Within several moments, Pegasus raised his hand to silence the crowd. Once the area was quiet once again, he spoke. "All of your duels will be recorded on the same style of duel arenas that were used a decade ago, some enhancements aside of course. Make sure to register your winner's spoils with your side of the duel arena once the game has finished, and your deck will be updated in the tournament database to prevent those who may wish to bend the rules. I wish all of you the best of luck and you have one hour to prepare before the tournament begins. When fireworks soar overhead, the tournament is underway, and your first duel could be only moments away."

The duelists began to disperse as Pegasus walked back into the castle. Gaius turned and looked towards his companion, who was still staring up towards where Pegasus had been a few moments ago. "You ok Kira?" Gaius asked. His friend seemed to be off in her own little world.

"Yeah I'm fine, sorry Gaius," she replied as she smiled and looked towards the young man. "I guess I'm a bit surprised is all. Single elimination means one bad game and you're out, so there's no room for error. If you end up winning, not only do you get any 14 cards that your opponents own, you also can make your own deck so the possibilities are endless. Do you even know what kind of deck you'd want?"

Gaius shrugged. "I haven't a clue," he said as he pondered the question. "I've always been a fan of Egyptian mythology, since Duel Monsters are based off of an ancient game from Egypt. I'm also really into watching famous duelists, so it might be fun to get cards based off of Yugi or Kaiba." The two walked away from the castle and down towards a large forest. "If I remember my duel history right, this is the same forest where Yugi first dueled that bug duelist. What was his name, Evel Undercarriage or something?" He scratched his head as he tried to think of the name. "Either way, Yugi stomped the guy in the end, so I think it would be fitting if I try and have my first duel here too."

Large booming noises occurred overhead, and the pair looked up and saw multicolored fireworks in the air. "I guess it's starting," Gaius exclaimed, "time to find me an opponent." After several minutes of walking through the forest, Gaius heard a noise from up ahead. "Whoever you are, I challenge you to a duel," he yelled as loud as he could.

"Do you think that's wise?" Kira asked as she stood next to Gaius. "You have no idea who's up there. For all you know it's someone like Apollo or Rebecca and you'd probably get creamed."

"You should listen to your friend, Gaius," a familiar-sounding deep voice replied through the brush. "You should know better than to challenge me. I have no doubt that I could mop the floor with you and your pathetic deck before you even inflict damage to me, so you may as well just give up now."

As the voice grew louder and closer, Gaius tried in vain to discern the identity of the voice. As the duelist stepped out from the trees, a wide grin formed across Gaius' face. "Hello, Garek," he replied as he saw his school bully standing in front of him. "I saw you in line earlier, figured you must have gotten lucky with your box, but your luck ends here. I challenge you to a duel, where one of us will have one game under their belt, while the other has a first-class trip to loserville. I don't know about you, but I have no moving plans."

Garek laughed and nodded. "I accept your challenge, let's begin." As he said those words, the ground began to part and a loud rumbling sound was heard.

A dueling field emerged, similar to the one Gaius had seen at the regional championship, but this field had a large number 15 emblazoned on the side. Gaius walked towards the arena and stood at the bottom of the blue platform and was slowly lifted up until he reached the top. "It's time you pay for all those times you insulted me at school," Gaius exclaimed. "I'll show you that people who hurt others have no chance at winning in this game."

Garek laughed as he was lifted into the red side of the dueling arena. "You don't even know how much I've hurt you little Gay-us".

"What do you mean," the young man replied, "it's impossible to forget everything you've ever done to me."

Garek smiled as he set his dueling deck onto the field. "You'll find out soon enough. I'll show you how pathetic you truly are when I wipe the floor with you." The two shuffled their decks and the duel was about to begin.


	6. Chapter 6

As Gaius finished shuffling his deck, he looked across the playing field towards Garek and began to strategize. 'The last I saw of Garek's deck, it had a lot of high-defense monsters and cards that swapped the attack and defense or increased damage when his defense monsters are attacked. I just have to make sure that my monsters are large enough to destroy his before he sets up a strong defense.' He drew five cards from his deck to start the game and inserted his ID card into the arena to engage the holo imagers. An indicator appeared on the dueling screen with both player's names and an arrow quickly shifted back and forth between the duelists names to randomly determine who was to take the first turn. After 20 seconds, the indicator highlighted Gaius' name. "I'll take the first turn then," he shouted across the field as he drew an extra card to start his turn.

'X-Head Cannon, Card Trooper, Y-Dragon Head, Axe of Despair, Ceasefire and Dekoichi. These are a pretty good start. His usual opening move is to play a monster in defense mode, so I should be able to play one in attack mode without worry.' He then grabbed his X-Head Cannon and placed it onto the field. "I play this card on the field in attack mode." He watched as his first monster was rendered in 3D just as he had seen at the regional tournament. "I then set one card facedown. My turn is over Garek."

The bully smirked as he drew a card. "My first move will be playing Giant Orc in attack mode. I'll then play one card facedown. My Giant Orc will attack your X-Head Cannon and deal you 400 points of damage. My Orc switches to defense mode after the attack, after that it's your turn." The young man laughed as he looked toward Gaius. "I bet you weren't expecting that at all, were you."

Gaius was stunned for a moment as he drew a card. 'Z-Metal Tank. Now that my X-Head is destroyed I'm not able to use any of my XYZ fusion monsters unless I find a way to revive my monster. I've never known Garek to be offensive so early in a match before. He always takes time to build an army of rock monsters before going out on a blitzkrieg all on one move.'

"Don't worry Gaius," Kira yelled as she watched the duel from the ground, "he just switched decks or something. Just focus on whatever cards he plays and counter them."

Gaius looked down towards his friend and nodded. 'I can do this,' he thought, 'I won't let any surprises keep me from winning this duel and knocking that jerk out if the tournament.' He then placed Y-Dragon Head onto the field. "I'll now play this monster in attack mode. It has 1500 attack, which is more than enough to deal with your 0 defense Orc." He watched as his monster once again came to life and then he announced his next move. "My monster will attack yours, and though your life points are safe, your brute is destroyed." He paused for a moment as he contemplated the rest of his turn.

'I could always play Axe of Despair on my Y-Dragon Head, but 2500 isn't too high in the first place. I'd rather wait and play it later when I have a stronger monster in play.' He looked towards his opponent and spoke. "That's all for my turn, it's your move."

"Gladly," Garek replied as he began his turn, "although you destroyed my Orc, your world of pain is just beginning. Before the end of the duel I'll have you writhing on the floor begging to be put out of your misery. I play one monster in defense mode and that will end my turn. Don't think that just because my monster is in defense that your troubles have ended."

Gaius pondered for a moment as his turn began. 'I got Swords of Revealing Light, normally this card can be useful in a pinch, but with him playing defense I'll save it for later. I should summon another monster and then I'll be able to attack him directly.' He thought for a moment about which monster to play, and then made his decision. "I play my Z-Metal Tank in attack mode, then I'll have my Y-Dragon Head attack your facedown monster."

Garek smiled as he watched his monster vanish from the playing field. "Thank you for that, Gaius. You destroyed my Giant Germ, which deals 500 points of damage and lets me summon two more from my deck in attack mode. Even if you destroy one of my Giant Germs with your Z-Metal Cannon I'll still have one monster that I can use on my next turn."

Gaius paused as a sense of familiarity overtook him. 'I had both of those cards in my old deck,' he thought. 'I've played with my fiend deck enough to know every card in it. Two cards may just be a coincidence, but I need to pay extra attention to the cards that he plays now.' He then called out his next move. "I'll have my other monster attack your second Giant Germ, even though I'll lose 500 points, so will you." As the attack resolved, Gaius watched his life points drop from 3100 to to 2600 and Garek's drop to 3500. "With that, I'll end my turn." He then carefully watched Garek as his turn began.

"I'm feeling generous so I'll sacrifice my remaining Giant Germ to play one monster facedown in defense mode." He then sneered towards Gaius. "I bet you're wondering what monster card is, but that's my secret. If you want to find out what it is, attack on your next turn. I guarantee that the monster can only mean a world of hurt for you, so if you attack don't be surprised if it's the last mistake you make in this duel."

Gaius gritted his teeth as his turn started. 'I have no idea what kind of monster Garek played, but this Perfect Machine King card I drew should be able to help me find out.' "I will sacrifice both of my monsters so I can tribute summon Perfect Machine King onto the field. It's 2700 attack points should be more than enough to deal with your monster, but I'll equip it with Axe of Despair, a spell card that raises his attack power to 3700. Even if you're hiding a Labyrinth Wall or Millennium Shield under there, my monster will now cut right through! Perfect Machine King, attack his facedown monster."

Garek began to laugh loudly as his facedown monster was obliterated by Perfect Machine King's fist. "You still think I'm using any of my old cards, Gaius? I thought you would have realized that all of my monsters that I've used have one thing in common. They're all fiend-type monsters, and the monster you just destroyed was Helpoemer. With his effect, every time you take a turn before you attack, I get to steal a random card from your hand and send it to the card graveyard. I hope you're able to play out your hand on your next turn, otherwise one of them will be lost."

Gaius lightly pounded the platform as he saw the Helpoemer card in Garek's graveyard. 'That's the third card in a row that he has played that was in my lost fiend deck. I think I have an idea of where my deck ended up.' He looked towards his opponent, his eyes now ablaze with absolute hatred. "You stole my deck at school, didn't you Garek? It's the only logical explanation for why your deck suddenly changed completely is less than a week, and how all of the cards you're using are ones that were in my deck. Did you not have enough confidence in your own deck that you had to go and steal someone else's? You disgust me Garek, and I'll take pleasure in defeating you and kicking your sorry ass from the tournament."

Garek busted up in laugher and nodded towards his opponent. "How do you feel being beaten by your own cards, Gaius? I guess I should say, being beaten by your own old cards after I swiped them from your locker. You were too preoccupied with getting ready for morning classes that you didn't even notice me come up behind you. As you walked away from your locker, the only thing it took was a quickly inserted metal ruler to keep it from closing in time for me to rummage through your bag. I knew you wouldn't be able to report it to the school since dueling is officially banned, so I just assumed you'd never be the wiser. What a treat it was that you made it here too, though. That way you can feel your own cards tearing your hopes to shreds before your very eyes. I'm going to win this competition with your deck, and considering the enhancements that I made there's no way for you to win this duel."

Gaius looked stunned towards his opponent. "What enhancements? You mean you've changed the cards that were in my deck?" The young man quickly thought of every card that he had used when he built and upgraded the deck over time, wondering what he would have to face next.

Kira yelled loudly up to the players. "Garek you low-life, I can't believe you'd go so far as stealing Gaius' deck. That's seriously a new low for you, and that speaks volumes considering all of the other vile stuff I've seen you do to freshmen or other kids at school. I would hope that you'd feel shame about what you've done, but I know better. You'd need a heart to feel sorry for what happened, and I know you don't have one."

Gaius' opponent looked down towards Kira and playfully jeered. "Trust me, I have a heart Kira, and I have a lot more than that too. If you're lucky once I mop the floor with little Gay-us over there I'll show you. Don't worry Gaius, I've kept all of your best cards in the deck, I've just replaced some of the weaker monsters like Kuriboh with much better options. Since it's my turn now, I'll show you one of changes right now. Since you have a monster on your side of the field, I can summon this Cyber Dragon onto the field." He paused for a moment as he reflected on his monster.

"You should feel honored that this monster was summoned in our duel. Cyber Dragon cards are so rare that only one or two come in an entire case of booster boxes for Machiner's Command. He won't be staying around, though. I'll sacrifice my Cyber Dragon to normal summon Summoned Skull to the field in attack mode. 'Why summon a monster much weaker than your Perfect Machine King,' you wonder, well you're about to find out. I banish my three Giant Germs from my graveyard in order to summon Dark Necrofear. Even though this monster only has 2200 attack, I'll have him attack your Perfect Machine King."

Gaius watched as Garek's life points dropped to 2000. 'I'm surprised Garek was able to master my deck so quickly,' the machine duelist thought, 'although he's seen me play it enough over the past few years that it makes sense he'd know how to play it somewhat. I just never expected him to be this good with it.'

Garek smiled as Perfect Machine King punched his monster to dust. "Now that Dark Necrofear has been destroyed in battle," he continued, "the monster becomes an equip spell card at the end of my turn and I can take control of one of your monsters. Send your Perfect Machine King over to me, it's time he fights on my side." He chuckled as the card moved through the dueling arena and appeared on his field. "I guess that's another card I've taken from you Gaius. My turn is over, let's see if you can do anything to stop the beat-down that I'm going to give you on my next turn."

Gaius shook his head as he drew for his turn. 'I can't believe he's been able to turn all of my best cards against me,' he thought. 'I need to find a way to beat his monsters, but I just don't know if there's a way in my deck for me to come out on top on sheer strength alone. I can at least play my Swords and hope to draw into a good card. Dekoichi would be a good choice too so I can draw another card. With my Ceasefire card facedown, if he plays another effect monster or if I'm able to play one more I'll be able to deal him 2000 points of damage and win the game.' He then looked at his draw which was a Mechanicalchaser. "I play one monster facedown," he announced as Dekoichi was put into play, "and then I will play my Swords of Revealing Light. This card will hold off your attacks for three turns while I gather the cards I need to defeat you." He sighed as he looked towards his hand which consisted solely of monster cards. 'I hope I can make due on my statement,' he thought as he ended his turn. 'If he destroys my Ceasefire with the Mystical Space Typhoon that was in my deck, I'll have to come up with a whole new strategy.' As his turn ended, a flashing indicator light on the arena instructed Gaius to discard Mechanicalchaser due to Hellpoemer's effect. 'Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that effect, but I should be able to win before it becomes a nuisance.'

Garek casually looked at his new card and set his hand down. "Fortunately for you, I have no moves that I can play right now. I can only pass my turn and try again next round." He let off an indignant huff and shook his head. "It's just like you Gaius to run from a fight isn't it? Every time I pick on you, you always just retreat and retreat without ever standing up for yourself. It's no surprise that you duel the same way, even when you're at a large tournament such as this. You're weak Gaius, and the cards I took think so too, or they wouldn't be guiding me to victory."

"If I was truly weak Garek," Gaius retorted, "I never would have issued a challenge in the first place. I'm here to prove to everyone that no matter how many tournaments you play in or how expensive a player's deck may be, anyone has a chance at winning. I don't care who I face, for as long as I believe in myself and the deck that I have put together, I will never lose. What are you fighting for, Garek? Just out for the prizes? Do you only care about what you can get for yourself? I pity you Garek, but don't mistake my pity for lack of resolve. Now, I draw." He looked at his hand and then added the newly acquired card to it. 'I pulled my second Axe of Despair, but right now that doesn't matter. I can just play my Card Trooper in any mode and win the duel.' "I play this monster card in defense mode, and then I," his voice trailed off for a moment as he remembered his facedown Dekoichi. "First I'll flip my facedown Dekoichi faceup, which allows me to draw one card from my deck." His move went unchallenged by Garek, which made him both happy and suspicious at the same time. 'He's had that back row card facedown for the entire game so far. It has to be a trap card. I can only hope it's Mirror Force, meaning that it won't be able to stop my next play." He quickly drew from his deck and looked down at his own Cyber Dragon. "I can't play the card I just drew, so instead I'll activate my facedown card and end this duel. My Ceasefire card deals you 500 damage for every effect monster in play. Since you have only 2000 life points and there are four effect monsters on the field, the game is over."

Garek held his hand up as if telling Gaius to hold on. He then flipped over his facedown card and Gaius cringed. "Sorry Gaius," his opponent playfully chided, "I play my facedown card. It's Barrel Behind the Door. Whenever I would take damage from any effect, I play this counter trap and you take the damage for me. That means you're down to only 600 life points while I stay at 2000." He chuckled for a moment and then continued. "I must say, I'm very glad you put this card in your deck Gaius. If it weren't for your Barrel Behind the Door card, I would have just lost the game. You had to have known that was a possibility in your deck, so I guess you just hoped that I had a different card, too bad for you that you were wrong, though." He paused for a moment as Gaius seethed in despair. "If you don't have any other cards to play, I guess it's my turn."

Gaius nodded and discarded his Cyber Dragon. 'I can't believe that failed, I was so close to beating him. I only have two more cards that I can draw before his monsters are free to wipe me out.' He watched as Garek began his turn and smirked as he drew.

"Well Gaius," the young man began, "I haven't drawn anything to destroy your Swords, but I have gotten something to put even your great Perfect Machine King to shame. I'll sacrifice your monster in order to play Great Maju Garzett, whose attack power is twice the original attack of the monster used to sacrifice it. Garzett's effect makes his attack power 5400, and I doubt you can match its power with any card in your deck. I'll play one card facedown and then I'll end my turn since I still can't attack."

Gaius let out a small smile. 'Well, if I'm going to lose this duel, I may as well lose it to one of my favorite monsters,' he thought as he started his turn. He slowly looked down at the card he drew and sighed. 'Gear Golem the Moving Fortress. Normally the only reason this is in my deck is so I can stall early game and use it as tribute fodder for my stronger monsters. It's utterly useless at this point of the game. I only have one more turn, and then it's game over for me.' He shook his head and looked at his field. "I'll switch my Dekoichi to defense mode and play one backrow card facedown and play one monster in defense mode. After that I'll end the turn."

An audible shout of glee erupted from Garek as he looked at his new card. "I'm sorry once again Gaius, but your Swords will come crashing down a turn early. First, I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your spell card, and then I'll set one card facedown. My Great Maju Garzett will attack your Dekoichi, destroying your monster with ease. Then my Summoned Skull will attack your older facedown monster."

Gaius watched as the skull creature let loose a flurry of lightning bolts that decimated his Card Trooper. "Because you destroyed my Card Trooper, I can draw one extra card from my deck." He looked towards his deck and a sense of worry overcame him. 'It's all up to these next few draws. If I don't get what I need I'll be sent home.' He drew a card and added it to his hand. 'Mechanicalchaser, excellent. I can always use it to hold his attacks at bay.' He then shuddered at he looked at his opponent's field and saw some of his favorite monsters on the assault.

He began to speak solemnly as he felt the weight of his own cards destroying him. "Garek, since you stole my deck I want it back. I know you don't have to give it back to me as there's no proof, so I propose a wager. If you win, you get my entire dueling deck as well as every card that I've brought with me to the island. I have a binder full of various rare cards in my backpack, and if you win they're all yours. However, if I win, you will give me the deck back that you stole. With your overwhelming forces under your command, I can't see a reason why you wouldn't accept my offer, unless you're scared."

Garek scoffed at his opponent and nodded. "Let's see, Gaius. I have two powerful monsters in play, and you only have one that will be destroyed next turn. Whatever you have facedown can't be of any use or you would have used it already. I accept your wager, I'll love to add everything you have to my collection. Everyday at school then you'll be forced to watch your own cards work in my decks, and the anguish from that would be worth more than any card I own. I end my turn, draw your last useless card and then my monsters will win me the duel."

Gaius gritted his teeth but heard Kira from the ground.

"Don't give up Gaius," she yelled. "It only takes one card to turn it all around, and you never know when you'll draw what you need. Just believe in yourself and you can come through."

Gaius nodded towards his friend and smiled as he drew for the turn. "I set one backrow facedown and then summon my Mechanicalchaser. I'll equip my facedown Axe of Despair to Mechanicalchaser raising its attack power to 2850. I'll move to my battle phase, and since I once again have no cards in hand your Helpoemer has nothing to target. My monster will attack your Summoned Skull, dealing you 350 life points worth of damage and destroying your monster. You're down to 1650, and with only 1000 or so life points separating us I have a chance to win. I'll then end my turn."

Garek shook his head as he drew. "You really need to go back to school Gaius, you must have failed math. My Great Maju Garzett has more than enough attack points to destroy your chaser and win me the duel. I don't even need to play any other cards before I attack. My Great Maju will attack and destroy your Mechanicalchaser, time to hand me your deck you twerp."

Gaius quickly flipped up his newly set backrow card. "Your monster may be bigger than mine, but it isn't twice as large. I activate my facedown card Limiter Removal. This spell card doubles the attack strength of all my machine type monsters in play, increasing Mechanicalchaser's attack to 5700. Since I activated this card during the damage step, it's too late for you to call off your attack and your monster is destroyed. You take 300 points of damage bringing your life points down to 1350. The only trade-off is that my Mechanicalchaser is destroyed, but I still have one facedown monster for you to contend with. With that, I think your turn is over and it's time for me to win this duel." He smiled as his turn started.

'He has no monsters in play, this means I only need to draw a monster with 600 or more attack points and the game is mine, assuming what he has facedown won't hurt me.' He studied the card he drew and felt his cheeks flush as he read the name to himself. "This duel ends now Garek. I'll summon my Reflect Bounder and it will attack your life points directly, winning me the duel."

Garek quickly looked at his facedown cards but said nothing as Gaius' monster inflicted a direct attack on his life points. "No...I can't believe I lost," the bully exclaimed. Quickly he reached forward to grab his deck. "Even though I lost I revoke the bet we agreed to earlier. I'm going to keep your fiend deck all to myself and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" As his hand reached the deck, a mechanical sound was heard. "No, my deck, where did the stupid duel arena take the deck?"

Gaius looked down at his playing field and saw an arena tile flipping over, revealing his entire 40-card deck that had been stolen. "It seems Pegasus' equipment records the conversation of the duelists as well as the duel itself. His machine knew that this deck wasn't yours, and as soon as you backed out of the agreement it took action. With this loss Garek you are out of the tournament, and I have taken my first step towards the finals." The young man perused his old deck before picking out Garek's Cyber Dragon and Gaius' own Mirror Force card. 'I should add these to my deck, I can take out a Mechanicalchaser and my Sakeratsu Armor card.' As he made the change, he placed each old card onto the dueling arena and then into his old deck while he put his new cards into the tournament deck.

As the dueling platform lowered, Gaius looked over towards his opponent who still seemed shocked by the defeat. The young man then looked towards Kira and hugged her. "I won my first game of the tournament, let's get out of here and find someone else for me to challenge. I'm sure Garek will be picked up by one of Pegasus' employees soon enough if he doesn't leave on his own."

Kira nodded and smiled. "I'm really glad you won, Gaius. That guy is a total piece of work, between stealing your deck and then trying to be a sore loser and not keep his word. I only hope you're able to win your next game too. Now that your opponents will also have one win, the tournament just got harder."

The pair of them walked away from arena number 15 in search of another duelist for the young competitor to face. 'Whoever I end up dueling next,' Gaius thought as they kept pace towards a large meadow, 'I know it won't be as satisfying how I beat Garek. Even if I lose my next game and am knocked out of the tournament, getting my fiend deck back was worth the trip by itself.'

-Pegasus' Castle:-

Several miles away, Maximilian Pegasus was sitting in a large room in his castle filled with several widescreen monitors. He slowly sipped red wine after twirling the drink with his finger and licking it to measure the taste. Pegasus pressed a small button on a remote and his loyal servant Croquet entered the room. "I need an update," the tycoon ordered, "has the target came to the island as I planned?

The man-servant slowly nodded and humbly spoke. "Yes sir, your plan seems to be coming together. Do you want me to put the target on screen?"

Pegasus waved his hand playfully in an affirmative gesture. "Of course, make it so." The largest video monitor turned on and Pegasus smiled slyly as he watched an image of Gaius and Kira walking through the plains area. "Ah, it seems one duel has already been won. Only three more and my plan should be ready for fruition." He then cocked his head in his butler's connection. "Of course, make sure the contingency plan is prepared just in case little Gaius can't clinch his way to the finals. I won't let something like a petty tournament stand in my way from achieving my goals."

The servant bowed to Pegasus and began to leave the room. "Everything will go according to your will, sir. I'll instruct Kemo to keep an eye on the target, discreetly and unseen."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry this is shorter than usual. I kept trying to think of ways to extend the chapter but it would have just been filler.

The day dragged on and neither Gaius nor Kira saw anyone who the young man was able to battle. "Come on," Gaius yelled frustratingly at the sky, "I just want to find an opponent so I can duel. The sooner I win a duel the closer I can get to being top 8."

In the hours since his win against Garek, Gaius had been in constant search of a challenge. To say that the young man was overconfident would be an understatement as he boasted to any within the sound of his voice. "I can beat all of you, none of you stand a chance against me. I'm going to win this tournament and no one can stop me!"

Kira lightly slapped Gaius on the back of his head and sternly shook her head. "You've only won your first duel, Gaius. I swear you need to reign in your enthusiasm or it'll knock you right out of this tournament." She huffed and followed her friend as the pair continued to walk through a large plains area with flowers and trees dotting the landscape. Before long, they found themselves approaching a stretch of beach, as the sandy terrain looked hot to the touch as heat waves could be seen emanating up from the ground.

"I wonder if this part of the island is above some hot springs or something," Kira mused as she kicked off her shoes and put them into her backpack, cautiously touching the sand with her bare feet. She sighed at the warmth and closed her eyes. "I wish I would have brought my swimsuit. A little swim out in the ocean sounds lovely right now."

Gaius laughed and nodded his head. "I didn't bring mine either, but you know we don't really need swimsuits. I do have some spare clothes so I could just get these wet and then change." The young duelist looked towards the water as it enticed him.

Kira shook her head. "I only brought enough for the tournament, and there's no way I'm going to wear the same clothes twice. Don't even think about the alternative either," she meekly uttered as her face turned red.

The young man playfully smiled and shook his head. "Who, me? I didn't say anything of the sort, but there are a few others ways you could swim. You could just leave those clothes on and then go swimming in them. Then just change later and let those clothes dry off. It would be the same as washing them, just without the soap. That way you could wear them again and not have to worry about wearing dirty clothes.

Gaius laughed heartily and scanned the beach for other duelists. At the very depth of his vision, he could scarcely see an image moving towards him. "Hold on we can swim later. I think I see someone up ahead. If it's a duelist I'm going to challenge them. Then once I win I'll take a victory lap!" He quickly raced down the beach to make contact and confirm his suspicions.

Kira sighed and followed her friend, shouting, "you know you actually need a pool for a proper victory lap right!?"

As Gaius neared he could make out the in as if a tall man slowly walking towards the pair. When the young man was within a a few dozen feet, the man dropped to his knees and fell face-first into the sandy beach. "You ok man?" Gaius called as he reached the man who was covered in a black cut-off t-shirt and black jeans. The young man tried unsuccessfully to lift up the man, whose darkly tan skin accented his clothing. "Kira come and help me turn him over, for being a thin guy he sure is stocky." His friend rushed over and together they lifted the stranger up and laid him on his back.

Immediately when Gaius looked at the man, he noticed a striking tattoo which covered the left side of his face. 'Wow, he must really be into some exotic art. I've seen a lot of people with tattoos over time but none on their face."

As the man came to, he managed to only utter two words, "water please."

Gaius quickly reached into Kira's backpack and pulled out a bottle of water which he slowly leveled into the stranger's mouth. After twenty minutes of resting, the man seemed to fully wake and take in his surroundings.

"Oh," the man spoke as he sat up, "who are you? Where am I?"

Gaius tilted his head in confusion and began to speak. "Well, I'm Gaius and this is Kira. You're on Pegasus' island called Duelist Kingdom. I would think you came on the boat like everyone else, but I don't recall seeing you. Although there was a lot of people so that would make sense. What's your name stranger?"

The man paused as he looked at Gaius, and as his gaze shifted to Kira he seemed surprised. "My name is Odion. I came here with my mast...friend Marik. He was personally invited by Maximilian Pegasus to compete in this tournament as an eliminator. Since his service wasn't needed until later on when finalists were being crowned, I decided to explore the island with him. I don't remember exactly how, but I must have gotten lost. There's a desert a mile or so past the beach and I woke up there earlier alone and without food or drink. I didn't know where the castle was so I wandered hoping I'd find someone, or hopefully see Marik himself."

Gaius' eyes grew wide with concern at the sound of Marik's name. "Marik, as in the guy who Yugi Moto faced in the Battle City tournament? I heard he dueled ruthlessly and even physically attacked his opponents when he lost, knocking them out or something so they'd need to go to the hospital. Why would you be friends with someone like that? He sounds really dangerous and I wouldn't want anyone I know to be on the receiving end of a loss from him if he treats his opponents like that."

Odion shook his head and spoke, sounding frustrated. "No, that's not it. The truth is more complicated than you would think, and frankly may be difficult for you to believe unless you were there. I'll just say that the monster that Marik used to be is long gone, and since then he's changed. Since that tournament he's worked a lot with Ishizu, his sister, trying to research ancient history. It's a lot harder for her since she lost her necklace, a lot more guess work which was made even harder by Professor Hawkin's discoveries."

Gaius, feeling quite perplexed, began to try and make sense of what Odion was saying. "Wait, why would a necklace help someone with archeology? Is it really old or something?" Gaius then remembered reading some breaking news about a discovery made by an Arthur Hawkins. The only reason the young man remembered was the report came shortly before Duel Monsters holograms appeared all over the world, even in his hometown. 'I wonder,' he thought, 'is Rebecca Hawkins related to that professor? It's not exactly a common name in America, but who knows. If I ever run into her I'll have to ask'.

Odion sighed in slight annoyance and spoke, his deep voice turning into a snarl for just a moment. "That is also a long story, and frankly I don't know if they would enjoy me talking about the specifics of things during that time. Now if you'll excuse me..." He began to try and stand, only to fall down while he was half up. As he caught himself against the sand, his hands slipped inside and he again landed face-first. He grumbled and sat up slowly, facing Kira who had finished checking supplies and rejoined the pair.

"Maybe you should stay with us for a while," she told the much older man. "We can help you find your friend, or at the very least get you in the direction of the castle. If we're lucky Pegasus will have one of his food stations nearby, and then I'm sure they would be more than happy to help since you're with a guest of Pegasus. In fact," she continued, "in a way all three of us are guests of Pegasus." She smiled and offered her hand to the man to help him to his feet.

Odion nodded and slowly rose to his feet. He then turned towards Kira. "So, I take it you're a duelist then? Did Pegasus invite you based on your dueling record? I know Marik will be glad when he sees..." His sentence was interrupted by Gaius who began to speak.

"Actually, I won a raffle by Pegasus to enter this tournament," he boasted. "I've already won my first of four duels needed to compete in the finals."

Kira nodded towards Odion, "I have cards but I don't duel much at all. I just like collecting cards with pretty pictures on them. Gaius here is the real duelist, he's tried to teach me a few times and I know the basic rules, but it's just not something I'm really interested in. I'm more than happy with having a fun collection than spending hundreds of Yen on a competitive deck like some of the pros probably do."

Odion appeared puzzled as he stared at Kira. "Oh, I just thought that since.." His voice trailed off as he then nodded again towards the girl. "My apologizes miss, forgive my assumption and just forget it was ever said." He then looked towards Gaius. "So, you're a duelist then. What kind of deck do you have?"

Gaius thought for a moment as he was unsure how or if he even should answer the man. 'Well, he doesn't seem to play Duel Monsters or even be in the tournament, otherwise he would have challenged me already. Even if he is a duelist I don't think he'd challenge me while he's in this state anyway. There shouldn't be any harm in telling him.'

"Right now," he began, "I have a machine deck that I use. I also just got my fiend deck back from someone who stole it, but since tournament rules say you can't switch cards or decks on the fly I'm stuck with the deck I made from one and a half boxes of cards and some other stuff that I had already or got from Kira. The entire deck is pretty much from Machiner's Command or various support cards. I'm still getting used to the deck since it's so new, but I'm sure I can take down anyone if I put my mind to it, even someone like Yugi or Kaiba."

Odion chuckled for a moment and then began to laugh. "I'm sure you could if you tried hard enough, right now though I could use your help if that's not too much to ask. I don't want to impose on you but I'd hate to be stuck out here. I already can't walk too well as you know, and I don't want to get lost again all on my own." He then moved his hand as if to shake Gaius', but when the latter extended his arm, the man gripped his forearm, leaving the young man unsure of how to respond.

"Of course we'll help you, Kira already offered you help and I intend to see that you get where you need to go so you can see Marik again." Gaius then put Odion's arm around his shoulder and they slowly walked west, moving away from the water's edge and inward towards the castle.

"So," Gaius began, in an attempt to learn more about the strange man, "have you ever dueled yourself, Odion?"

The older man nodded his head and spoke. "Yes, I dueled many years ago, but no longer. Once Marik changed I no longer needed to duel, and while it did bring me pleasure, dueling also reminded me of all of the atrocities that I once committed in serving Marik while he was overcome. I've done things that I will never be able to forget, or even more so forgive myself for. It would be nice to be able to duel one day, but it would take a lot to shake those feelings." He paused and then looked towards Gaius.

"Can I possibly see your deck?" He asked politely. "I only really ever get to see Marik duel anymore, so I would appreciate a change of pace. Plus it would let me see what new kinds of cards have been released in the past decade." He laughed slowly but stopped as the laugh turned into a cough midway through.

'There shouldn't be any problem with that,' Gaius thought. 'This man isn't a duelist anymore, and even if he tells Marik what cards I use, once I make it to the finals I'll have some new or different ones so he won't know what to expect even with a general preview of my deck.' The young man nodded and reached to retrieve his deck. He then handed it to Odion, who slowly flipped past each card and seemed to study the effects.

"So, this is what your deck does," the man asked as he continued to look. "You mostly have large machine monsters but also have ways to special summon your best cards from your hand or your fusion deck to go in for the win. You also have cards that increase your weaker monster's attack so you can turn the tide of battle in your favor even if you're at an initial disadvantage. What a brilliant strategy, and I even recognized some of these cards from when I used to play 10 years ago. It's nice that some old cards still see play all these years later, it can remind us that just because things are old, that doesn't mean they're useless." He chuckled and then continued to speak.

"Take me for example. I'm going to be 40 years old in a few years, but I can still do everything that I could when I was your age. For example, I bet that I could duel you right now and beat you completely out of the tournament, but I'm not a competitor." The man slyly smiled and looked at Gaius, then once again turned to Kira.

"So," he continued, addressing he woman as they walked, "what's your favorite card? You mentioned that you collect cards, so what is the one that means the most to you?"

The woman furrowed her brow in deep thought and seemingly pondered the question. After a minute or so, she reached into her deck and pulled out a level two normal monster. "This one is my favorite," she announced, "Petit Dragon. This was one of the first cards I ever got when I bought a really old booster pack to start my collection. It's just so cute and little, I just wish it was decent to play with." She smiled and then looked down at her card. "That's how it is with most of the cards I like, they're super cute but they're not good in games. Gaius once tried to make a competitive deck for me, but I didn't like any of the monsters that he picked out." She sighed as she slid her Petit Dragon back into the deck box that she retrieved it from.

The trio continued walking, and as they neared the end of the sandy beach area, Odion stopped dead in his tracks and looked down at the ground. There was a small black stone embedded in the sand, no more than a few inches in length. Quickly, he reached down and grabbed under the stone, and as the sand gave way, he emerged with a deck box in his hand. He turned towards Gaius and sneered. "Gaius, I challenge you to a duel as a competitor of the Duelist Kingdom tournament. I have one win, and since you do as well you are obligated to duel me. Once I win your most powerful cards will be in my deck, and I'll continue on to win this tournament!"

Gaius felt a sense of shock overcome him as he looked at Odion. 'So he was a duelist after all. He must have been trying to acquire information from us about our cards and my dueling deck. The only question is why the charade.' He saw Kira glare towards the man, her face twisted into anger and rage.

"What do you mean Odion," she asked as she stared down her would-be friend, "aren't you too hurt and tired to duel or was that all just a fake?"

Odion slowly and silently nodded at Kira. He then turned towards Gaius and spoke. "Yes, it was all a ruse. From me being lost, to me being injured and needing help. I placed my deck beneath the sands knowing I could find it again once I brought my prey here. You shall fall before my deck Gaius, for I need to win this duel at any cost."

"I won't duel you until you tell me what this is all about Odion," Gaius replied as he shook his head. "You seemed like a nice guy, so this is totally out of character, unless all of that was an act as well. If you needed to challenge me you should have done so outright. The tidbits you have gathered about my deck will not save you from its destructive power."

Odion laughed for a moment and then spoke. "I'm dueling not just for myself, but to help restore honor to the Ishtar name. I want to win this tournament so that all those who have felt that Marik has grown weak these years while he was in retirement know what true power the Tomb Keeper clan really has. A victory here will strengthen his reputation around the world as I am his protégé, and I'll use Pegasus' prize to create the ultimate deck for Marik so that he has no equal! I'll finally be able to avenge my failure from all those years ago, and prove myself worthy to both Marik and Ishizu." He paused and looked solemnly at the ground. "They may treat me as a brother, but I still feel the loss that I suffered that day deep within my heart. I shall fight through the memories of my past and defeat you!"

Gaius stepped away from the man and coyly smiled. "So, you're trying to win to impress Marik, right? Well that's not going to happen. I'll defeat you here and now and prove that no matter what tricks you pull you won't be able to defeat a duelist like me." He smiled and nodded his head. "Odion Ishtar, I accept your challenge."

As Gaius called out, a large portion of the beach parted as a dueling arena rose from underground. The two duelists slowly made their away to the arena and took positions on the dueling platforms. Once they ascended, both decks were shuffled.

"I hope you have more than big talk Gaius," Odion taunted, "otherwise my deck shall utterly decimate you. It's unlike anything you've ever seen before, and shall ever see again. If not for interference by an Egyptian God card I would have won the Battle City tournament years ago, and I've only made my deck better since then. Since this deck was able to go toe-to-toe with Joey Wheeler, what hope do you think you have?"

"Well," Gaius replied slowly as he carefully chose his words, "I know that it's my destiny to make a mark on the dueling world, to prove to everyone how strong I can be. I'm going to take you down and prove to everyone what kind of duelist I really am, and no one is getting in my way. It's time for you to go back to dueling retirement Odion, and I'm more than happy to send you there myself." Both players looked down at their decks, and as they drew five cards, the game began.


End file.
